Encryption Standards
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issues Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS) after the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to section 5131 approves them. NIST approved the use of FIPS 197, Advanced Encryption Standard almost two decades ago. The encryption standard is recommended because it specifies the Rijndael algorithm 3 and 4. The Rijndael algorithm is a symmetric block cipher that can use various key lengths to process data blocks. Rijndael can process 128 bits data blocks using cipher keys with 128, 192, and 256 bits. Moreover, Rijindael can handle keys more block sizes and additional key lengths. Therefore, the standard has an advantage over other as it accommodates different key lengths based on user data processing needs.
NITS further recommends AES because the standard can be implemented hardware and software because it is considered the most robust security protocol. Additionally, the longer key lengths bits for encryption in AES makes the algorithm secure against hacking. With AES it is guaranteed that personal information cannot be hacked. Because of the level of security associated with advanced has increased its use in commercial and open-source solutions. Additionally, AES is effective in encrypting wireless communications, electronic commerce transactions, and online financial transactions.
Security protocols, such are AES have become part of everyday life. One of the applications of cryptography is authentication using digital signatures. Digital signatures are an application of public key cryptography, whereby a message can be encrypted with a private key and decrypted using a public key created by the sender (Zhang, 2010). This means that the receiver can authenticate the source of the message since public keys are associated with their users using trusted directories. However, public keys are vulnerable; therefore, the standards community invented a digital certificate to enhance security. Digital certificates have four major components, which are the certificate issuer’s name, the subject to which it is being issues, public key for the subject, and time stamps. The certificate is digitally signed to prove that the public key is secure.
Time stamping is another security protocol used in everyday life. Time stamping is a technique used to certify that a communication took place or a given document was delivered. Generally, the technique provides an additional level of prove that regarding the recipient of a documents or information in cases issues arise in future. Time stamping can be used an electronic legal document, making it a critical security protocol.
There is also the Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which is a public-key protocol that provides data security for internet-based communications. SSL facilitates communication integrity and data encryption. The protocol also supports server and client authentication. SL is used to authentication server and client and other end-to-end connections during a communication.
Security protocols are also used to facilitate secure electronic money transfers. Although electronic money is a technology that is still evolving, it has been adopted in many parts of the world. Electronic money involves sending money through the internet using either credit or debit cards. In most cases, the transactions should be anonymous so as to guarantee the security of users, especially customers. Security protocols are used to facilitate anonymity in online transactions. Encryption is also used to protect private information in a conventional transaction environment, such as credit card numbers. Digital signatures have also replaced handwritten signatures in electronic money transfer.
References
Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 197 (2001). Announcing the Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES). https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/NIST.FIPS.197.pdf
Zhang, J. (2010). A study on application of digital signature technology