Information, Computer and Network Security Terms Glossary and Dictionary

MAC: Message Authentication Code

Message Authentication Code (MAC) is a short piece of cryptographic checksums used to authenticate a message. A MAC algorithm accepts as input a secret key and an arbitrary-length message to be authenticated, and outputs a MAC. The MAC value protects both a message's integrity as well as its authenticity, by allowing verifiers to detect any changes to the message content. It is also known as integrity check-values, modification detection codes, or message integrity codes.

Related Terms

MAC: Message Authentication Code