AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a widely adopted symmetric encryption algorithm, that ensures secure data transmission and storage by employing a standardized cryptographic process, widely recognized for its efficiency and robust security features.
Developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2001, AES is used globally in numerous security applications and protocols, including SSL (secure sockets layer) and TLS (transport security layer) for web traffic, IPsec for network traffic, and WPA2 for wireless networks.
AES operates on blocks of data and uses a series of transformations, namely substitution, permutation, mixing, and key addition. It employs a secret key, which can be 128, 192, or 256 bits long, making it extremely resistant to brute-force attacks.
The strength of AES lies in its key size and the number of rounds of encryption it performs. For a 128-bit key, it performs 10 rounds; for a 192-bit key, it performs 12 rounds; and for a 256-bit key, it performs 14 rounds. Each round involves several processing steps, including one that depends on the encryption key itself.
AES’s symmetric nature means the same key is used for both encryption and decryption, making key management crucial. If the key is lost, the data cannot be recovered. Conversely, if the key is stolen, the data can be decrypted and exposed. Despite its robustness, AES is computationally efficient, making it suitable for a wide range of devices, from high-end servers to resource-constrained IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
