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Scratches on the Surface of SHA256
A closer look at the cryptography in use for digital currency Bitcoin shows new vulnerabilities in SHA256, says Absa information security researcher Frans Lategan.

Press Release Issued by: ITP Communications, Johannesburg
2012-03-26

http://www.itweb.co.za/office/securitysummit2012/PressRelease.php?StoryID=228225

I thought it notable that a security consultant who works for a bank should choose to mention Bitcoins out of all the usecases for SHA256...

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Lategan says his findings nevertheless indicate that vulnerabilities can exist even in trusted algorithms in use to protect currency as valuable and widespread as Bitcoin.

...it makes more sense however when you see the brief bio for Frans Lategan here:

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Frans Lategan is a security consultant with Absa Bank. His presentation, titled SHA256 vulnerabilities exposed by Bitcoin, will contextualise Bitcoin, discuss the technical workings of Bitcoin and SHA256, and look at divergences between expected and actual findings for SHA256.

(from http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50468)

Discussion thread here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=74122.0