Maximizing the hash function of authentication codes

Abstract

A novel design approach for the development of small sized and high speed implementation of the keyed-hash message authentication code (HMAC) is discussed. The design is developed to increase the HMAC throughput to a level that can be used in modern telecommunication application such as virtual private networks (VPN). Hash functions are used to produce a fingerprint of a message or some other block of data that will provide a high level of security for communication protocols. The purpose of HMAC is to authenticate the source of message and its integrity. The use of hash functions can help in reducing the critical path by including the special properties of the hash functions. HMAC offers a significant benefit concerning the maximum achieved operation frequency. As a result, a negligible area penalty was introduced to achieve an increase in throughput up to 390% compared to the competing implementations.