Message authentication code

nounverified·updated May 9, 2026

GlossaryL1 — what DictionaryL2 — how used ThesaurusL3 — relations Universaleverything

A cryptographic checksum on data that uses a symmetric key to detect both accidental and intentional modifications of the data. MACs provide authenticity and integrity protection, but not non-repudiation protection.

polysemousMWENISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 2

Senses

3 more senses beyond the canonical

ISACA Cybersecurity Glossary

An American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard checksum that is computed using Data Encryption Standard (DES)

NISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 2sense 2 pending review

A cryptographic checksum that results from passing data through a message authentication algorithm.

NISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 2sense 3 pending review

1. See Checksum. 2. A specific ANSI standard for a checksum.

Classifications

per-axis with provenance

Entity Type

Control85%llm-generatedllm:claude-haiku-4-5

?unassignedlast reviewed —

Sensitivity

unclassified

Information Class

unclassified

Variants

4 surface forms

acronym: MAC
plural: Message authentication codes
possessive: Message authentication code's
pluralpossessive: Message authentication codes'

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