
Chapter 10
The Advance d Encryption Standard
This chapter introduces the Advanced Encryption Standard, the current NIST-
defined standard for secret key encryption. In particular:
• The histor y of choosing the AES cipher.
• The basic definition of Rijndael, the AES choice.
• Description of the components of Rijndael.
• A simplified version, suitable for hand computations.
• Some security discussion.
10.1 Introduction and some history
As a result of the problems inherent with DES, small keyspace, s low per-
formance, fixed block s ize , in 1997 the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) called for the creation of a new Advanced Encryption
Standard. ...