[Python-Dev] hashlib - faster md5/sha, adds sha256/512 support

[Tim Peters]

[Ronald  L. Rivest]
> I'm curious as to the status of upgrading cryptographic
> hash function support in Python, now that md5 and sha1 are
> both clearly broken (in terms of collision-resistance).
>
> The consensus of researchers in this area (at least as
> expressed at the NIST Hash Function Workshop 10/31/05),
> is that SHA-256 is a good choice for the time being, but
> that research should continue, and other alternatives may
> arise from this research.  The larger SHA's also seem OK,
> but I think will have less demand...
>
> I'd like to see sha-256 supported in Python.  Has this
> already happened (and I didn't notice) and/or will it
> be happening soon?

I'm gratified that you think highly enough of Python to ask ;-)

A new core `hashlib` module will be included in Python 2.5, but will
not be backported to older Python versions.  It includes new
implementations for SHA-224, -256, -384 and -512.  The code and tests
are already written, and can be gotten from Python's SVN trunk.

python-dev'ers:  I failed to find anything in the trunk's NEWS file
about this (neither about `hashlib`, nor about any of the specific new
hash functions).  It's not like it isn't newsworthy ;-)