Recently, research and news has created a great deal of discussion about hash algorithms and their validity for forensic uses. Over the past several years, the primary hash algorithm used in forensic applications, MD5, has been compromised for use in encryption, a cryptographic use of this mathematical process. The SHA-1 algorithm has been compromised on a theoretical level and attempts proving the theoretical compromise have not yet been successful. The question is then asked, how do these compromises affect their use in forensics?
