Message Authenticator Algorithm
The Message Authenticator Algorithm (MAA) was one of the first cryptographic functions for computing a Message Authentication Code. It was designed in 1983 by Donald Davies and David Clayden at the National Physical Laboratory (United Kingdom) in response to a request of the UK Bankers Automated Clearing Services. The MAA was one of the first Message Authentication Code algorithms to gain widespread acceptance.
Development and Standardization
The original specification[1][2] of the MAA was given in a combination of natural language and tables, complemented by two implementations in C and BASIC programming languages.
The MAA was adopted, between 1987 and 2001, in international standards ISO 8730 and ISO 8731-2 to ensure the authenticity and integrity of banking transactions.
Attacks
Later, cryptanalysis of MAA revealed various weaknesses, including feasible brute-force attacks, existence of collision clusters, and key-recovery techniques. For this reason, MAA was withdrawn from ISO standards in 2002.
Formal specifications of the MAA
The MAA has been used as a case study for formal methods.
Bibliography
- ^
Davies, Donald W. (1985). "A Message Authenticator Algorithm Suitable for a Mainframe Computer". Advances in Cryptology – Proceedings of the Workshop on the Theory and Application of Cryptographic Techniques (CRYPTO’84), Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 196. Springer. pp. 393–400. doi:10.1007/3-540-39568-7_30.
{{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter|booktitle=ignored (|book-title=suggested) (help) - ^ Davies, Donald W.; Clayden, David O. (1988). The Message Authenticator Algorithm (MAA) and its Implementation (PDF) (NPL Report DITC 109/88). Teddington, Middlesex, UK: National Physical Laboratory.