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Computer Definitions » PAD or Padding
PAD or Padding - technical definition
An
encryption algorithm used to encrypt or “padlock” a message. In cryptosystems,
padding also refers to random characters, blanks, zeros, and nulls added to the
beginning and ending of messages to conceal their actual length or to satisfy
the data block size requirements of some ciphers. Padding also serves to
obscure the location at which cryptographic coding actually begins.
See Also: Algorithm; Encryption or Encipher.
Schell, B.H., Dodge, J.L., with S.S. Moutsatsos. The
Hacking of America: WhoÂ’s Doing It, Why, and How. Westport, CT: Quorum
Books, 2002.