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Given a Merkle-Damgård hash function H, let's say SHA256, that computes a MAC as follows:

H(secret_key||timestamp), so that the attacker knows the result and the timestamp.

Is it possible to produce a valid MAC of H(secret_key||timestamp+1) with length-extension or other attack?

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No, the length extension property does not allow to compute $H(\text{secret_key}\mathbin\|\text{timestamp}+1)$ from $H(\text{secret_key}\mathbin\|\text{timestamp})$ and $\text{timestamp}$.

Two caveats:

  • That's for reasonable encoding of integers to bitstring for the $\text{timestamp}$ field, including anything fixed-size, ASN.1, Integer-to-Octet-String Conversion, and any conceivable variation. Argument: the length extension property computes the hash of a message larger than the original by the padding size (at least 65-bit for SHA-256), and further that much of the extension is heavily constrained.
  • What's considered is not an intended use of $H$, and we have no convincing argument of security from other attacks. The academically sound thing is to use a MAC, for example HMAC with $\text{secret_key}$ as the key and $\text{timestamp}$ as the message.
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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for your response. What I've seen in a real implementation is as follows in python2.7: data = secret_key + unix_timestamp , token_hash = hashlib.sha256(data).hexdigest(). That token_hash is being used as auth and mac. The timestamp is in seconds !. $\endgroup$
    – jdcaballerov
    Jul 22, 2018 at 0:58
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    $\begingroup$ @jdcaballerob: that allows to compute $H(\text{secret_key}\mathbin\|\text{timestamp}+x)$ with probability $1-x$ when $x<1\text{ second}$ ! $\endgroup$
    – fgrieu ♦
    Jul 22, 2018 at 11:31

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