A cellular automaton based fast one-way hash function suitable for hardware implementation

Abstract

One-way hash functions are an important tool in achieving authentication and data integrity. The aim of this paper is to propose a novel one-way hash function based on cellular automata whose cryptographic properties have been extensively studied over the past decade or so. Furthermore, security of the proposed one-way hash function is analyzed by the use of very recently published results on applications of cellular automata in cryptography. The analysis indicates that the one-way hash function is secure against all known attacks. An important feature of the proposed one-way hash function is that it is especially suitable for compact and fast implementation in hardware, which is particularly attractive to emerging security applications that employ smart cards, such as digital identification cards and electronic cash payment protocols.