Efficient message authentication system for Mobile and Pervasive Computing

Abstract

A method and system for authenticating messages is provided. A message authentication system generates an encrypted message by encrypting with a key a combination of a message and a nonce. The message authentication system generates a message authentication code based on a combination of the message and the nonce modulo a divisor. To decrypt and authenticate the message, the message authentication system generates a decrypted message by decrypting with the key the encrypted message and extracts the message and the nonce. The message authentication system then regenerates a message authentication code based on a combination of the extracted message and the extracted nonce modulo the divisor. The message authentication system then determines whether the regenerated message authentication code matches the original message authentication code. If the codes match, then the integrity and authenticity of the message are verified.
Keywords: Authentication; unconditional security; computational security; universal hash-function families; pervasive computing