Download MD5CRK 1.0.7

The MD5CRK project is a relatively new player in distributed computing. The aim of this project is to demonstrate that the MD5 algorithm is unsuitable for security purposes. The algorithm is designed as a way to check the integrity of data. Today it is also used as authentication in online shopping, where the MD5 hash in the security certificate is supposed to prove that the website is who it claims to be. Its use is generally considered safe, as MD5 hashes cannot be traced back to the original input. The problem is that there are only 2128 possible outcomes for an MD5 hash, while the number of possible inputs is infinite. Because of this, there is a very small chance that two different words will have the same hash, something referred to in the cryptography world as a ‘collision’. Such collisions make a cryptographic algorithm insecure. Version 1.0.7 of the MD5CRK client was released today and has the following changes:

• SPARC ALU and ALU2 cores
• Faster Alpha cores
• new email-only startpoint registration
• new automatic start point upload
• new “-prepareBatch” option to create a HTML file which uploads all your DPs from offline machines.
• new md5_preset.xml file is consulted at startup to auto-upload your startpoints. Usful for installing in computer labs. Format:
  10.1.1.1:8080
  jdoe@isp.com

• fixed upload HTML file onfocus() bug
• Added XML comments to the XML files better documenting the elements
• Added DP distance minimum, average, maximum to md5_perf.xml in 100ths of a GigaMD5
• Added MD5Rate minimum, average, maximum to md5_perf.xml in 100ths of a MegaMD5
• A serious attempt made to fix the Win95/Win98 bug when the computer reboots where the MD5CRK client is not given a chance to properly write to the filesystem and so the XML files are not correct when the client starts up again. Have not been able to reproduce the problem yet – but this should help.
  NOTE: md5crk does NOT cause a system reboot – a normal system shutdown/reboot ini win95/98 seems to cause md5crk to no come up properly afterwards.
• md5_perf.xml file updates more often and md5_kill.xml cleanly kills md5crk client app so 3rd party apps man better interface with the md5crk client.
• added “-install2 -install3 -install4 -uninstall2 -uninstall3 -uninstall4” for manual service registration or SEPERATE DIRECTORIES on windows SMP machines.
• added CPU info to the md5_test.xml file including CPU name, MHz and model name.