Assurance of the source and integrity of a message against specified adversarial capabilities. Digital signatures permit public verification, whereas a message authentication code uses a shared secret; encryption alone need not authenticate.
A keyed function producing a tag that a holder of the shared secret can verify. Its message authentication security requires that valid tags for new messages cannot be forged under the allowed adversarial queries. Unlike a digital signature, verification is not inherently public and the verifier also knows a key capable of making tags.
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Message authentication is a process used to verify the integrity and authenticity of a message. It ensures that a message has not been altered in transit and confirms the identity of the sender. This is crucial in various communication systems to prevent unauthorized access, tampering, and impersonation. Key concepts in message authentication include: 1. **Integrity**: Ensuring the message has not been modified during transmission. If any part of the message is altered, the integrity check will fail.