Data authentication algorithms

Abstract

Data authentication algorithms represent the baseline on which advanced authentication protocols can be built. In the realm of cloud computing, IoT, and big data, data authentication algorithms play a vital role to secure the transmitted, stored, and exchanged data and information. These basic and advanced algorithms are categorized into four main types. Passwords and hash functions represent the simplest authentication schemes. Hash functions are used into the more complex constructions of authentication algorithms such as MACs and digital signatures. The choice of the underlined mathematical building blocks, such as ECs, contributed to the improvement of authentication algorithms; nowadays, we have algorithms with efficient computation performance and shorter cryptographic keys. Besides the cryptographic realm of authentication, biometric and steganography schemes have been used as other means of authentication algorithms where the featured of the user are the keys to authenticate him/her into the system. Below, we summarize the overall learned lessons and list some future trends in this area of research.