Tiger-160 Hash

What is Tiger-160?

The **Tiger-160** hash function is a member of the Tiger family of cryptographic hash algorithms, designed in 1995 by Ross Anderson and Eli Biham as part of the broader Tiger cryptosystem. Structurally, it employs a **three-round, 160-bit output** design, derived from the original 192-bit Tiger-192, with a modified compression function optimized for efficiency. The algorithm operates on 128-bit blocks, processing input data through a series of bitwise operations, modular additions, and non-linear transformations (including XOR and rotation shifts) within a state space of three 64-bit registers. Its primary use-case was intended for digital signatures and message authentication, though it was later repurposed for password storage (e.g., in early Linux password hashes) due to its relatively fast computation on CPUs of the era. The Tiger family was influenced by the MD4/MD5 design but introduced a more complex internal structure to mitigate known weaknesses in earlier hash functions, though its long-term security assumptions were later proven flawed.

Tiger-160 is vulnerable to cracking primarily due to **preimage and collision attacks enabled by optimized hardware acceleration**. Unlike modern hash functions like SHA-3, Tiger-160 lacks a salt or keyed variant, making it susceptible to **rainbow table attacks** when used for password storage. Its compression function, while non-linear, was designed with performance in mind rather than collision resistance, leading to **structural weaknesses exploited via GPU/CPU-optimized brute-force tools** (e.g., hashcat). Additionally, the **160-bit output space is now considered insufficient** for modern security standards, as quantum-resistant alternatives (e.g., SHA-3) or post-quantum cryptography have rendered it obsolete. The algorithm’s **predictable compression behavior** also allows for **differential cryptanalysis**, where attackers exploit patterns in the hash’s internal state transitions to derive collisions or preimages with suboptimal computational overhead compared to brute force.

Identifying Tiger-160 Hashes

Identifying a hash blindly is often difficult because multiple algorithms can output strings of the exact same length. For example, a standard 32-character hexadecimal string could be MD5, NTLM, MD4, or LM. To definitively identify Tiger-160, security researchers analyze the hash against a strict regular expression (regex) signature (shown above) to find structural matches.

How to Crack Tiger-160

If you need to recover the plaintext password for a Tiger-160 hash during a penetration test or forensics investigation, you must supply the correct module ID to your cracking software. Use the exact commands provided at the top of this page to target the hash successfully.