(Difficult) The secure hash algorithm was quite difficult to follow. I understand each of the individual operations mentioned (AND, OR, XOR, NOT, and addition mod 2^32.) but trying to picture the entire algorithm was tough to do. I understand that once the system is designed, the user doesn't have to understand what's really going on to use it, but as software programmers or cryptanalysts it would be critical to understand the overall picture. If you go over it in class I am sure it will make a little more sense, but any suggestions on being able to visualize the system better? I had this same stumbling block with AES, trying to see the "big picture" of what was going on.
(Reflective) As I read about the secure hash algorithm, I was thinking to myself that all of the operations were very basic. Each of the operations themselves (AND, OR, XOR, etc.) have a very obvious inverse function. What came to mind next was that the great thing about hash functions is that they are not an "encryption". There is no one-to-one mapping from a plaintext to a hash. This is an integral part of what makes hash functions secure.
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