Information, Computer and Network Security Terms Glossary and Dictionary

HMAC: Keyed-Hash Message Authentication Code

A keyed-hash message authentication code, or HMAC, is a type of message authentication code (MAC) calculated using a cryptographic hash function in combination with a secret key. As with any MAC, it may be used to simultaneously verify both the data integrity and the authenticity of a message. Any iterative cryptographic hash function, such as MD5 or SHA-1, may be used in the calculation of an HMAC; the resulting MAC algorithm is termed as HMAC-MD5 or HMAC-SHA-1 accordingly.

Related Terms

HMAC: Keyed-Hash Message Authentication Code