Lawyers for FTX’s disgraced former boss, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), have reached an agreement with prosecutors allowing him to contact certain FTX employees. Besides certain restrictions, the 30-year-old may contact such parties through a host of new mediums. The New Rules Updated terms surrounding Bankman-Fried’s contact restrictions were sent to Lewis A. Kaplan – a judge for the Southern District of New York – in a letter on Monday. Bankman-Fried’s lawyers said the updated conditions were a response to the government…
What are Blockchain Hashing Algorithms?
Blockchain hashing algorithms are mathematical functions that generate a fixed-size output, called a hash, from a variable-size input, called the message or data. These algorithms are used in the process of creating new blocks in a blockchain, which is a decentralized and distributed digital ledger.
Some common blockchain hashing algorithms include SHA-256, Scrypt, and Ethash. They are used to secure the data and protect it from tampering by providing a digital fingerprint of the data.
Blockchain Hashing Algorithms Examples
- SHA-256: This is a cryptographic hashing algorithm used in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies based on its blockchain. It is a 256-bit hash function that takes an input (or ‘message’) and returns a fixed-size 256-bit output (or ‘hash’). It is considered a secure algorithm as it is difficult to reverse engineer the input from the output. It is also resistant to collisions (where two different inputs produce the same output).
- Scrypt: This is a password-based key derivation function that is computationally expensive to perform, making it more resistant to brute-force attacks. It is used in some cryptocurrencies, such as Litecoin, to secure the blockchain.
- Ethash: This is the hashing algorithm used in Ethereum and Ethereum-based blockchain networks. It is designed to be memory-hard, meaning that it requires a significant amount of memory to perform the calculations required for mining. This is intended to prevent specialized hardware (ASICs) from gaining an unfair advantage in mining.
- Equihash: This is a hashing algorithm that is based on the generalized birthday problem and is used in Zcash and another privacy-focused cryptocurrency. It is designed to be resistant to the use of specialized mining hardware (ASICs) and is designed to be memory-hard.
- X11: This is a hybrid hashing algorithm that uses a sequence of 11 different algorithms, including Blake, BMW, Groestl, JH, Keccak, Skein, Luffa, Cubehash, Shavite, Simd, and Echo. It is used in Dash and some other cryptocurrencies. The idea behind using multiple algorithms is to increase security and make it more difficult for specialized mining hardware to be developed.
- ProgPoW: This was a proposed hashing algorithm for Ethereum that aimed to address the issues of ASIC resistance and centralization of mining. It uses a combination of memory-hard and compute-hard operations to make it more difficult for specialized ASICs to be developed while also ensuring that general-purpose GPUs can still mine effectively.
- Cuckoo Cycle: This is a memory-bound algorithm designed to be ASIC-resistant. It is based on a graph-theoretic problem called the Cuckoo Graph and is used in some cryptocurrencies such as Aeternity.
- Cryptonight: This is a memory-bound algorithm that is designed to be ASIC-resistant. It is used in Monero and some other cryptocurrencies. It uses a combination of mathematical operations, such as AES encryption and integer operations, to make it more difficult for specialized mining hardware to be developed.
- Dagger-Hashimoto: This is a memory-hard algorithm used in Ethereum Classic and other blockchain networks. It is a combination of two other algorithms: Dagger and Hashimoto. Dagger is a memory-hard algorithm designed to be ASIC-resistant, and Hashimoto is a general-purpose algorithm used to secure the blockchain.
- Lyra2RE: This hashing algorithm is based on the Lyra2 algorithm and is used in Vertcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It is designed to be ASIC-resistant and uses a combination of memory-hard and compute-hard operations to make it more difficult for specialized mining hardware to be developed.
- BLAKE2: This cryptographic hash function is designed to be fast, secure, and efficient. It is based on the BLAKE algorithm and is used in some cryptocurrencies, such as Sia Coin. It is designed to resist hash collision attacks and can produce hash outputs of various sizes.
- Keccak: This is a cryptographic hashing algorithm based on sponge construction. It is used in some cryptocurrencies, such as Maxcoin, and is resistant to collisions and preimage attacks.
- Grøstl: This is a cryptographic hash function based on the fixed-permutation construction. It is used in some cryptocurrencies, such as Myriadcoin. It is designed to be resistant to collisions and preimage attacks, and it can produce hash outputs of various sizes.
- NIST5: This hashing algorithm is based on the five finalist functions in the NIST hash function competition. It is used in some cryptocurrencies. It is designed to be resistant to collisions and preimage attacks, and it can produce hash outputs of various sizes.
- Quark: This is a hashing algorithm that is based on six different cryptographic algorithms. It is used in some cryptocurrencies and is designed to be resistant to collisions and preimage attacks, and it can produce hash outputs of various sizes.
- Cryptonight-R is a variation of the Cryptonight algorithm designed to be more resistant to ASIC mining. It is used in some cryptocurrencies, such as Monero. The R in the name stands for “Randomized,” and it uses a random value in the hash function calculation, making it more difficult for ASICs to predict the final output.
- X16R: This is a hashing algorithm in some cryptocurrencies, such as Ravencoin. It combines 16 different algorithms in a specific order, X11, X13, X15, X17, X16S, X16R, Blake, BMW, Groestl, JH, Keccak, Skein, Luffa, Cubehash, Shavite, Simd, and Echo. Unfortunately, the order of the algorithms used is determined by the last 16 bits of the previous block’s hash. This makes it difficult for ASICs to optimize for this algorithm.
- yescrypt: This is a password-based key derivation function that is designed to be computationally expensive to perform, making it more resistant to brute-force attacks. It is used in some cryptocurrencies, such as Zcash.
- Neoscrypt: This is a hashing algorithm based on the script algorithm. It is used in some cryptocurrencies, such as Feathercoin. It is designed to be resistant to ASIC mining. It uses a combination of memory-hard and compute-hard operations to make it more difficult for specialized mining hardware to develop.
- Argon2: This is a key derivation function designed to be computationally expensive to perform, making it more resistant to brute-force attacks. It is used in some cryptocurrencies and blockchain platforms.