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Also known as: Secure Hash Algorithm 2
A family of cryptographic hash functions including SHA-256 and SHA-512 with improved security.
DESCRIPTION
SHA-2 is a NIST-standardized family of hash functions comprising SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, and truncated variants. It is widely used in TLS, code signing, and digital signatures due to strong collision resistance. SHA-256 balances security and performance for common applications; SHA-512 benefits 64-bit architectures. SHA-2 remains the de facto standard for integrity and authentication in modern systems.
ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS
Wikipedia
SHA-2 is a set of cryptographic hash functions designed by the United States National Security Agency (NSA).
Attributes design origin to NSA and defines SHA-2 as a family.
NIST FIPS 180-4
The SHA-2 family consists of the six hash functions with digests that are 224, 256, 384, or 512 bits.
Specifies digest sizes and enumerates family members formally.
IETF RFC 4634
This document specifies the Secure Hash Algorithms (SHA and HMAC-SHA), including SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512.
Defines algorithms and HMAC within an IETF RFC.
RELATED TERMS
SHA-256 SHA-512 Cryptographic Hash Function HMAC Digital Signature TLS NIST FIPS 180 Integrity Certificate
COMPETING TERMS
KNOWLEDGE AREAS
TARGET AUDIENCE
Cybersecurity Engineer Security Architect Chief Information Security Officer Software Developer Cloud Architect
EXTERNAL SOURCES
- Wikipedia - SHA-2
- NIST - Secure Hash Standard for SHA-2
- IETF - RFC for SHA-2 and HMAC-SHA
- OWASP - Guidance on secure hash use
TOP QUESTIONS
Why is SHA-2 widely adopted?
It provides strong collision resistance and performance suitable for TLS, signing, and data integrity across platforms.
Category: Benefits
When should I choose SHA-256 or SHA-512 within SHA-2?
Use SHA-256 for broad compatibility and speed; SHA-512 can be preferable on 64-bit systems or for higher digest length.
Category: HowTo
Is SHA-2 vulnerable like SHA-1?
No practical collisions are known for SHA-2. It remains recommended by standards bodies.
Category: Risk
How does SHA-2 interact with HMAC?
HMAC-SHA-256 and HMAC-SHA-512 are widely used for authentication and integrity, leveraging SHA-2’s properties.
Category: Concepts
Does SHA-2 meet compliance requirements?
Yes, SHA-2 is endorsed by NIST and widely required in security baselines and regulations.
Category: Regulation
How to migrate systems to SHA-2?
Update libraries and certificates, reissue signatures, and test interoperability across dependencies.
Category: Management
What are throughput considerations for SHA-2?
Digest performance varies; hardware acceleration and 64-bit optimizations can improve throughput significantly.
Category: Performance
Is SHA-2 suitable for password storage?
Prefer specialized password hashing (bcrypt, scrypt, Argon2) with salting and slow parameters.
Category: Mistakes
How does SHA-2 compare to SHA-3?
SHA-3’s design is sponge-based (Keccak) offering diversification; SHA-2 remains dominant and performant.
Category: Alternatives