Keccak is a cryptographic hash function that is used in various blockchain networks, including Ethereum. It was designed by Guido Bertoni, Joan Daemen, Michaël Peeters, and Gilles Van Assche, and was selected as the winner of the NIST hash function competition in 2012.
Keccak is a member of the family of sponge functions, which are able to perform both hashing and encryption. It operates by absorbing input data into a buffer, and then squeezing the buffer to produce the hash output.
In Ethereum, Keccak is used as part of the hashing algorithm for generating addresses and for creating transactions. It is also used as part of the proof-of-work algorithm for Ethereum Classic.
One of the notable features of Keccak is its high resistance to collision attacks, which are a type of attack in which an attacker tries to create two different inputs that hash to the same output. This makes Keccak a valuable tool for securing blockchain networks.
Overall, Keccak is an important tool in the world of blockchain and cryptography, providing strong security for a variety of applications.