Encryption experts met in Gaithersburg, Maryland, this week to discuss retiring the SHA-1 hashing algorithm and creating a stronger version of the cryptographic workhorse.

Over the past eighteen months, significant breaks of the Secure Hash Algorithm, SHA-1, have left confidence in the crypto algorithm essentially shattered. This week, a Who's Who of encryption experts met to discuss the problem and attempt to chart a course to a stronger hash function. While much of the proposed fixes build on old techniques, some new ideas did come our of the confab, according to a blog of the conference posted by well-known cryptographer Bruce Schneier.

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