Message authentication codeIn cryptography, a message authentication code (MAC), sometimes known as an authentication tag, is a short piece of information used for authenticating and integrity-checking a message. In other words, it is used to confirm that the message came from the stated sender (its authenticity) and has not been changed (its integrity). The MAC value allows verifiers (who also possess a secret key) to detect any changes to the message content.
Length extension attackIn cryptography and computer security, a length extension attack is a type of attack where an attacker can use Hash(message1) and the length of message1 to calculate Hash(message1‖message2) for an attacker-controlled message2, without needing to know the content of message1.
SHA-3SHA-3 (Secure Hash Algorithm 3) is the latest member of the Secure Hash Algorithm family of standards, released by NIST on August 5, 2015. Although part of the same series of standards, SHA-3 is internally different from the MD5-like structure of SHA-1 and SHA-2.
SHA-2SHA-2 (Secure Hash Algorithm 2) is a set of cryptographic hash functions designed by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) and first published in 2001. They are built using the Merkle–Damgård construction, from a one-way compression function itself built using the Davies–Meyer structure from a specialized block cipher. SHA-2 includes significant changes from its predecessor, SHA-1.
Cryptographic hash functionA cryptographic hash function (CHF) is a hash algorithm (a map of an arbitrary binary string to a binary string with a fixed size of n{\displaystyle n} bits) that has special properties desirable for cryptographic applications. Hashing is a one-directional mathematical operation which is quick to calculate, yet hard to reverse. Common uses include password storage and digital signatures.
Public-key cryptographyPublic-key cryptography, or asymmetric cryptography, is the field of cryptographic systems that use pairs of related keys. Each key pair consists of a public key and a corresponding private key. Key pairs are generated with algorithms based on mathematical problems termed one-way functions. Security of public-key cryptography depends on keeping the private key secret; the public key can be openly distributed without compromising security.
Shared secretIn cryptography, a shared secret is a piece of data, known only to the parties involved, in a secure communication. This usually refers to the key of a symmetric cryptosystem. The shared secret can be a PIN code, a password, a passphrase, a big number, or an array of randomly chosen bytes.
CryptographyCryptography, or cryptology, is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adversarial behavior. More generally, cryptography is about constructing and analyzing protocols that prevent third parties or the public from reading private messages. Modern cryptography exists at the intersection of the disciplines of mathematics, computer science, information security, electrical engineering, digital signal processing, physics, and others.
Public key infrastructureA public key infrastructure (PKI) is a set of roles, policies, hardware, software and procedures used to create, manage, distribute, use, store and revoke digital certificates and manage public-key cryptography set-ups.
Digital signatureA digital signature is a mathematical scheme for verifying the authenticity of digital messages or documents. A valid digital signature on a message gives any recipient confidence that the message came from a sender known to the recipient. In contrast, a message authentication code only gives confidence to a specific recipient that the message came from a known sender.
Data integrityData integrity is the maintenance of, and the assurance of, data accuracy and consistency over its entire life-cycle and is a critical aspect to the design, implementation, and usage of any system that stores, processes, or retrieves data. The term is broad in scope and may have widely different meanings depending on the specific context – even under the same general umbrella of computing.Security levelIn cryptography, security level is a measure of the strength that a cryptographic primitive — such as a cipher or hash function — achieves. Security level is usually expressed as a number of "bits of security" (also security strength), where n-bit security means that the attacker would have to perform 2 operations to break it, but other methods have been proposed that more closely model the costs for an attacker.
Length extension attackIn cryptography and computer security, a length extension attack is a type of attack where an attacker can use Hash(message1) and the length of message1 to calculate Hash(message1‖message2) for an attacker-controlled message2, without needing to know the content of message1.SHA-3SHA-3 (Secure Hash Algorithm 3) is the latest member of the Secure Hash Algorithm family of standards, released by NIST on August 5, 2015. Although part of the same series of standards, SHA-3 is internally different from the MD5-like structure of SHA-1 and SHA-2.SHA-2SHA-2 (Secure Hash Algorithm 2) is a set of cryptographic hash functions designed by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) and first published in 2001. They are built using the Merkle–Damgård construction, from a one-way compression function itself built using the Davies–Meyer structure from a specialized block cipher. SHA-2 includes significant changes from its predecessor, SHA-1.Cryptographic hash functionA cryptographic hash function (CHF) is a hash algorithm (a map of an arbitrary binary string to a binary string with a fixed size of n{\displaystyle n} bits) that has special properties desirable for cryptographic applications. Hashing is a one-directional mathematical operation which is quick to calculate, yet hard to reverse. Common uses include password storage and digital signatures.Public-key cryptographyPublic-key cryptography, or asymmetric cryptography, is the field of cryptographic systems that use pairs of related keys. Each key pair consists of a public key and a corresponding private key. Key pairs are generated with algorithms based on mathematical problems termed one-way functions. Security of public-key cryptography depends on keeping the private key secret; the public key can be openly distributed without compromising security.Shared secretIn cryptography, a shared secret is a piece of data, known only to the parties involved, in a secure communication. This usually refers to the key of a symmetric cryptosystem. The shared secret can be a PIN code, a password, a passphrase, a big number, or an array of randomly chosen bytes.CryptographyCryptography, or cryptology, is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adversarial behavior. More generally, cryptography is about constructing and analyzing protocols that prevent third parties or the public from reading private messages. Modern cryptography exists at the intersection of the disciplines of mathematics, computer science, information security, electrical engineering, digital signal processing, physics, and others.Public key infrastructureA public key infrastructure (PKI) is a set of roles, policies, hardware, software and procedures used to create, manage, distribute, use, store and revoke digital certificates and manage public-key cryptography set-ups.Digital signatureA digital signature is a mathematical scheme for verifying the authenticity of digital messages or documents. A valid digital signature on a message gives any recipient confidence that the message came from a sender known to the recipient. In contrast, a message authentication code only gives confidence to a specific recipient that the message came from a known sender.Data integrityData integrity is the maintenance of, and the assurance of, data accuracy and consistency over its entire life-cycle and is a critical aspect to the design, implementation, and usage of any system that stores, processes, or retrieves data. The term is broad in scope and may have widely different meanings depending on the specific context – even under the same general umbrella of computing.Security levelIn cryptography, security level is a measure of the strength that a cryptographic primitive — such as a cipher or hash function — achieves. Security level is usually expressed as a number of "bits of security" (also security strength), where n-bit security means that the attacker would have to perform 2 operations to break it, but other methods have been proposed that more closely model the costs for an attacker.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.