SHA3224

SHA3224 is a cryptographic hash function. It is part of the SHA-3 family of algorithms, standardized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The SHA-3 family was developed through a public competition to find a successor to the SHA-2 family. SHA3224 produces a fixed-size output of 224 bits, regardless of the size of the input message.

The design of SHA3224 is based on the Keccak algorithm, which was selected as the winner of the SHA-3 competition. Keccak employs a sponge construction, a relatively new approach to hash function design that differs from the Merkle–Damgård construction used in SHA-1 and SHA-2. This construction involves a permutation function applied to a state, with input message bits being "absorbed" and output hash bits being "squeezed" from the state.

SHA3224 is designed to be resistant to various cryptographic attacks, including collision attacks, pre-image attacks, and second pre-image attacks. Its 224-bit output length provides a significant security margin against brute-force attacks. While SHA-2 is still widely used and considered secure for most applications, SHA-3, including SHA3224, offers an alternative with a different underlying design, providing diversity in cryptographic primitives. Its use cases are similar to other hash functions, such as data integrity verification, digital signatures, and password hashing, although its adoption is not yet as widespread as that of SHA-2.