Assignment3 Read about message authentication codes 1 (MAC). Then write a short essay of no less than 150 words and no more than 300 words explaining what a MAC is, how it works, and what it can be...

In the world of computer network security and cryptography, message
authentication code (also abbreviated as MAC) is a small fragment of information
which can be utilized in the authentication of a message in order to ensure the
security of message. The security of the message essentially means avoiding any
kind of accidental and aforethought damage which can be possibly done to the
message. MAC is also used to ensure the authenticity in terms of source of origin of
the message.

It is interesting to see that algorithms for MAC can be written on the basis of
already existing traditional cryptographic procedures. Out of all, cryptographic
hash functions (e.g. HMAC) and block cipher algorithms (e.g. OMAC) are the most
widely used. UMAC and VMAC are the fastest algorithms for MAC and they are
based on the concepts of universal hashing.

Any piece of message...