Comparative Analysis of MD5, SHA-256, and SHA-512 Performance: Unexpected Cases of SHA-512 Outperforming SHA-256
Abstract
In the last several years, one of the concerns has been the resistance of hashing algorithms against supercomputers or quantum computers, which have higher computing capabilities compared to traditional computers. This study focuses on different hashing algorithms' performance under different inputs involved in ensuring data integrity. A Python script measures the performance of three different hashing algorithms in various type of inputs using the same hardware power. The first scenario uses the software to generate numeric inputs of varying lengths. Secondly, the same program generates different numbers of strings with different lengths, and lastly, it uses different text-based wordlists as an input. After each scenario, it assesses simultaneous or non-simultaneous time consumption, as are the efficiency metrics using factors such as speed, key length, hardware utilization, and robustness. Using the provided information, the designer could come up with measurable values for each of the features studied in this paper, as well as simulate attacks on quantum computers to see how well current hashing algorithms work with new hardware technologies. This study concludes that sha512 outperforms sha215 or md5 in certain scenarios, despite its more complex hashing algorithm and longer bit length.
Keywords
hash, brute force, collision resistance, robustness, performance, quantum computer
Authors
MSc. Damiana TELITI
Beder University CollegeMSc. Olsi SHEHU
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