DES and AES - The Two different encryption standards for block ciphers

There are two very useful encryption standards in the modern world that are used in cybersecurity. One of them is the DES - or data encryption standard if you want to go with the long name instead of going with the short acronym. DES is considered to be a symmetric block cipher that usually consists of sixty-four-bit blocks when encrypting data and DES operates with an "effective" key fifty-six bits in length with sixteen rounds of encryption. DES is a form of encryption that is currently being used less often. Why is that? It is because the data encryption standard is somewhat vulnerable to brute force - which is just a fancy word for guessing the correct key for decrypting messages by just guessing a bunch of different combinations of possible decryption keys.

DES algorithms are symmetric key block ciphers that were first created in the early 1970s by an IBM team and adopted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (or the NIST if you want to go with the short name). This means that these algorithms are symmetric and they generally use the same key or keys to encrypt and decrypt messages, sometimes doing these operations all with one key that needs to be kept secret from any attacker trying to decrypt important data.

DES can be made somewhat more secure compared to regular DES using a method known as 2DES. 2DES is also called double DES and this method just adds a second key which doubles the key length to one hundred twelve bits. This particular method is able to protect you better from a regular old brute force attack, but it is still vulnerable to another method that hackers love to use for stealing data referred to as the Meet in the Middle Attack. A 'Meet in the Middle Attack' just requires a hacker to have access to some unencrypted data known as plaintext and this method is usually used in corporate espionage and larger organizations attempting to rob people of their data. This attack is a special form of brute-force attack that targets block cipher cryptographic functions and still means that DES might not always be the best option if you have to protect your data from a larger organization or ring of scammers who might want to steal people's information.

Finally, when it comes to DES, you have 3DES. 3DES adds a third key or uses two keys three times for an extra layer of encryption of data that you want to have protected. DES-EEE3 is the form of 3DES where three keys are used for encrypting. DES-EDE3 also uses three different eyes. One key encrypts the plaintext, a second decrypts, and a third one encrypts again. Finally, you have DES-EEE2 and DES-EDE2 where the first and second keys are different, but the third key is a copy of the very first key used in this form of encryption.

All of this explains DES, but there is another form of encryption known as AES. AES is also known as Advanced Encryption Standard, which is the official name. AES is a symmetric block cipher with a 128-bit block size and the same key lengths of 128, 192, and 256, with a 48-bit IV that reduces the vulnerability to replay attacks. There is a lot that goes into AES algorithms to make them more secure on average compared to the DES encryptions that are generally seen in the field of cybersecurity as being their predecessors.

There are a whole bunch of symmetric and asymmetric AES algorithms to go over with so much information related to each of the ciphers in this category.