Analysis of the hash function design strategy called SMASH
The hash function design strategy SMASH was recently proposed as an alternative to the MD4 family of hash functions. It can be shown that the strategy leads to designs that are vulnerable to efficient collision and (second) preimage attacks. The mathematical structure of the SMASH description facilitates the description of the weakness and the resulting attacks, but also functions with less mathematical elegance may show similar weaknesses.
hash functions collisions (second) preimages cryptanalysis cryptography