The Rijndael algorithm is a complex cryptographic algorithm developed by Belgian cryptographers Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen. It was selected by NIST in 2000 as the basis for AES, the Advanced Encryption Standard, and is used in global communications for secure transmission of data. The algorithm is a block cipher and can use keys of 156, 192, or 256 bits. AES replaced the less secure Data Encryption Standard and is used in Internet Key Exchange and Internet Protocol Security. Some experts question whether Rijndael is the best algorithm for AES, but attempts to crack it continue.
In the world of computer security, an algorithm refers to a cryptographic algorithm, a set of rules and/or procedures for encrypting messages. Some algorithms are more complex than others and, therefore, more difficult to crack. Rijndael’s algorithm is one such algorithm and it is very important in global communications on several fronts.
The term Rijndael – which some pronounce as /RAIN dahl/ and others as /RINE dahl/ – was formed by combining the origins of the surnames of the two developers, the Belgian cryptographers Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen. The Rijndael algorithm was created in response to a call issued by NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in 1997 for cryptographers to submit an advanced algorithm to form the basis of AES, the Advanced Encryption Standard. The Rijndael algorithm was one of 21 submissions by teams from 11 countries and was the one selected in 2000, resulting in AES being sometimes referred to as “AES (Rijndael).”
Rijmen and Daemen developed the Rijndael algorithm from Square, an algorithm they had previously collaborated on. Rijndael’s algorithm is a block cipher, an alternative to the stream cipher. The data is processed in blocks of 128 bits and the keys can be 156 bits, 192 bits or 256 bits.
The purpose of AES was to replace DES, the Data Encryption Standard, as a more secure replacement. The US government chose AES, first for sensitive, but unclassified documents, in 2000, and in 2003, the NSA (National Security Agency) approved the use of higher bit keys – only 192 bits and 256 bits – for top secret documents. The New European Schemes for Signatures, Integrity and Encryption (NESSIE) consortium also adopted AES in 2003.
AES is used in IKE (Internet Key Exchange), which transmits the secret key for decryption using public key cryptography, and in IPSec (Internet Protocol Security). Some security experts believe that the Rijndael algorithm was not the most suitable algorithm for the type of use for which AES is intended. Others argue that none of the algorithms would gain universal support. Attempts to crack it are ongoing and bets have been made on how long it will be before it is cracked.
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