initialization vector
nounUK /ɪˌnɪʃəlaɪˈzeɪʃən ˈvɛktə/
US /ɪˌnɪʃələˈzeɪʃən ˈvɛktər/
A random piece of data used at the start of encryption to make each secret message different.
The program generates a new initialization vector for every file it encrypts.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A value that sets the starting state of an algorithm so results are repeatable.
The simulation used a fixed initialization vector to reproduce the same results.
3. An extra input that adds unpredictability to a cryptographic process.
Without a unique initialization vector, identical messages would encrypt the same way.
4. A starting block of data used to begin a chained computation.
The hash function was seeded with an initialization vector before processing the file.