Diving into the history and evolution of the Message-Digest algorithm by Ronald
ID: 649465 • Letter: D
Question
Diving into the history and evolution of the Message-Digest algorithm by Ronald Rivest, I have been able to track back papers from MD6 down to MD2. Yet, somehow I can not seem to be able to find any papers, specifications or even the slightest indications of MD1.
As the numbering (MD2, MD4, MD5, MD6) seems to be a constant, it would be logic to expect that MD1 did exist at some point in the past. Since I can not find anything related, I'm reaching out for help...
Has MD1 ever been published or was MD2 indeed the first Message-Digest algorithm that Ronald Rivest showed to the world? And if MD1 has been published, where can I find that publication (or a copy of it)?
Explanation / Answer
Since I have not received any reply from Mr. Rivest's office after bugging them with a total of four emails in four weeks, I have no other option than to give up on hoping I ever receive a reply from his office.
After spending 6 weeks hunting down information all over the internet (and not receiving any reply to my emails), I am currently suspecting that MD1 has indeed never been published. I base this on the fact that another algorithm