Unkeyed cryptographic
Streebog (GOST R 34.11-2012)
Russia’s national cryptographic hash function, standardized as GOST R 34.11-2012 by the Russian Federal Standards body and added to ISO/IEC 10118-3 in 2018. Two output sizes (256 and 512 bits), built on an AES-class permutation. Replaces the older GOST R 34.11-94, which was broken in 2008.
At a glance
| Output | 256 or 512 bits |
|---|---|
| Block size | 512 bits |
| Rounds | 12 (AES-like permutation) |
| Standard | GOST R 34.11-2012; ISO/IEC 10118-3:2018; RFC 6986 |
| Length extension | No (Miyaguchi-Preneel-shaped output) |
| Status | Recommended (no practical break known); mandated in Russian regulated systems |
Construction
Streebog uses a compression function built on a 512-bit AES-like permutation with 12 rounds. The S-box and round structure are original Russian designs; the wide-trail strategy is in the same family as AES’s. A length-encoded finalization step prevents length-extension.
Where it shows up
- Russian government and banking systems , mandated where federal cryptographic compliance is required.
- HMAC-Streebog , companion MAC in TLS over the Russian crypto suite.
- Yandex services, Sberbank infrastructure.
- OpenSSL 3.x , supported via the GOST engine.
Security status
Best known cryptanalysis (AlTawy et al., 2013-2014) covers reduced rounds. Full Streebog has no practical break. The selection process (Russian Federal Standards Authority, 2010s) was less open than NIST’s SHA-3 competition, but the standardized algorithm has received public scrutiny since publication.
References
- RFC 6986 , GOST R 34.11-2012: Hash Function
- AlTawy, R., Kircanski, A., Youssef, A., “Rebound Attacks on Stribog,” ICISC 2013.
- SM3 · Whirlpool