Encryption is a method of keeping data secure and private. Rijndael encryption, developed by Belgian cryptographers, is a block cipher with keys of 128, 192, and 256 bits. It was selected as the new standard in 2000 and is used in AES, which is adopted by several organizations for important data transfers. Attempts to crack it are underway.
Encryption is a method of attempting to keep data secure, private, and authentic as it travels from place to place. Whether on paper or over the Internet via email, when submitting a form or during a credit card transaction, encryption helps keep your data secure. The word encryption means “to make it hidden” and encryption works by applying an algorithm, or standardized process, to some data in its readable form – called the plaintext – to convert it into an unreadable form – called ciphertext – until it reaches designated recipient, who unlocks it with a key. Rijndael encryption is a type of encryption algorithm.
It is unclear whether Rijndael should be pronounced /RINE dahl/ or /RAIN dahl/, but it is clear that the word was formed by merging parts of the surnames of the two inventors, Belgian cryptographers Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen. Rijmen and Daemen, who had previously worked on an encryption algorithm called Square, developed the Rijndael cipher in response to some sort of competition of cryptographers. In 1977, when the security of the Data Encryption Standard (DES) was in question, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) called on cryptographers to create and submit advanced algorithms to form the basis of a new standard. Teams of cryptographers from 11 countries submitted 21 such algorithms: Rijndael cryptography was the one selected in 2000.
Rijndael is a block cipher, rather than a stream cipher, with the data processed in 128-bit blocks. The keys are longer than in previous systems, being 128 bit, 192 bit and 256 bit. The new standard underpinning Rijndael encryption, still in use as of 2010, is Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), sometimes called AES (Rijndael). AES — and thus Rijndael encryption — is used in the wireless protocol WAP2 (WiFi Protected Access, version 2) and in Internet Protocol Security (IPSec), specifically in IKE (Internet Key Exchange), which is part of IPSec. IKE is a method for exchanging keys.
At least in part due to the trust in Rijndael encryption, AES has been adopted for important data transfers by several organizations. In 2000, the US government began using AES to encrypt sensitive and unclassified documents. In 2003, the US National Security Agency (NSA) approved the use of the highest bit keys to encrypt top secret documents. Also in 2003, the New European Schemes for Signatures, Integrity and Encryption (NESSIE) consortium decided to adopt AES. As with any algorithm, attempts to crack Rijndael encryption are underway by both security experts and those wishing to exploit it.
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