The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a cryptographic algorithm used to encrypt data for confidentiality, authenticity, and non-repudiation. It was chosen by NIST in 2000 as a replacement for DES and uses a single key for encryption and decryption.
The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a mathematical algorithm or cipher used to hide information so that it cannot be read by unauthorized computer users when it is in storage or in transit. The science of writing secret code is called cryptography, and AES can most accurately be described as a cryptographic algorithm. Additionally, the process of coding or encrypting the data offers other benefits beyond ensuring that the information remains confidential.
Encrypting a message can also prove that a message is authentic and enforce non-repudiation, which is a process that prevents an individual from denying that they sent a message or that they were involved in a transaction. This is because cryptography can be used to create a code that is not only incomprehensible but also unique. The unique code acts like a fingerprint and cannot be changed without a private decryption key, so it is tied to a specific message, transaction or individual.
The Advanced Encryption Standard was selected in October 2000 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), primarily as a replacement for the Data Encryption Standard (DES). While DES has been in widespread use since the 1970s as the official US government encryption standard, it has currently been cracked many times and can no longer be trusted for security.
Officially, the selection process began in January 1997 when NIST initiated a request for proposals based on a list of requirements for a new, more secure cryptographic algorithm. NIST wanted the new algorithm to be flexible enough to work on physical devices and computer programs. It also had to be robust enough to run on older machines and work decades into the future.
NIST, in cooperation with government, education and industry groups, initially screened 15 candidates for the early exam. Five finalists were chosen for further testing. The eventual winner was a cipher called Rijndael designed by two Belgian cryptographers, Vincent Rijmen and Joan Daemen, whose last names form the basis for the algorithm’s name. Rijndael, more commonly referred to as the Advanced Encryption Standard, is the official cryptographic system used to encrypt US government applications.
Advanced Encryption Standard is a symmetric algorithm, which means it uses a single key to encrypt and decrypt messages. A person should keep in mind that a key is simply a variable fed into the algorithm to randomize the data. Since AES relies on a single key to perform both tasks, it is imperative that the key remains secret. If an unauthorized user were able to obtain the key, he would be able to read all encrypted messages.
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