As with most encryption schemes, SSH MAC algorithms are used to validate data integrity and authenticity. A ‘MAC algorithm’ should not be conflated with a MAC (Message Authentication Code) as these are two distinct components. The MAC algorithm uses a message and private key to generate the fixed-length MAC.
MAC algorithms may be considered weak for the following reasons:
A known weak hashing function is used (MD5)
The digest length is too small (Less than 128 bits)
The tag size is too small (Less than 128 bits)
The following are the most common weak MAC algorithms encountered:
hmac-md5
hmac-md5-96
hmac-sha1-96
hmac-sha2-256-96
hmac-sha2-512-96