Re: Is it possible to solve the mining process differently?
hashing algorithms are designed to be "trap door" functions. That is they are designed to work only one way.
plaintext -> hash = very easy
plaintext <- hash = impossible (technically the term is infeasible)
When designing and validating a hash function researchers are looking to ensure that given a hash there is clue as to what plaintext generated it, no signature, nothing that narrows down the search space.
If you could do what you suggest then SHA-256 is broken and useless as a cryptographic hash. Forget Bitcoin it has ramifications for everything from passwords lists to vpn to digital signatures. The entire global cryptographic community has been looking for flaws in the algorithm for a decade. I doubt you will find what they haven't. The cryptographer who breaks SHA-256 will be famous (well at least in crypto-nerd circles
).
plaintext -> hash = very easy
plaintext <- hash = impossible (technically the term is infeasible)
When designing and validating a hash function researchers are looking to ensure that given a hash there is clue as to what plaintext generated it, no signature, nothing that narrows down the search space.
If you could do what you suggest then SHA-256 is broken and useless as a cryptographic hash. Forget Bitcoin it has ramifications for everything from passwords lists to vpn to digital signatures. The entire global cryptographic community has been looking for flaws in the algorithm for a decade. I doubt you will find what they haven't. The cryptographer who breaks SHA-256 will be famous (well at least in crypto-nerd circles
).