Question

What do we call a bit of information that allows authentication of a received message?

A) Message Authentication Key (MAK)
B) Message Verification Code (MVC)
C) Message Authentication Code (MAC)
D) Verification Authentication Key (VAK)

Answer 1

A Message Authentication Code (MAC) is a piece of information attached to a message to provide integrity and authenticity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is Message Authentication Code (MAC).

A Message Authentication Code (MAC) is a small piece of information that is attached to a message to provide integrity and authentication. It is used to verify that the message has not been tampered with during transit and that it is coming from a trusted source.

An example of a MAC algorithm is the HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) algorithm, which combines a secret key with the message and uses a cryptographic hash function to generate the MAC.