Introduction
The field of cybersecurity keeps on evolving in many aspects, cryptographic algorithms are no different as it aims to address imposing threats and challenges. Cryptography is one of the ways to make sure that user data security and privacy can be maintained along with confidentiality, integrity, availability, and user identification in light of the continued growth of sophisticated cyberattacks and computer network interconnection (Hamouda, 2020). This report captures Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) as a a key cryptographic technique for safe communication and data security among others. This paper will explore the real-world uses of the AES cryptographic algorithm, providing insight into how it has been used in modern security services, programs, and regulations to achieve long-term protection and take cybersecurity to top-tier developments.
The US government has embraced AES and the Data Encryption Standard (DES), which was released in 1977, has been replaced by it since the AES technique uses a symmetric key, which implies that the same key is used for both data encryption and decryption making it more efficient than the DES (Advanced Encryption Standard, 2022). According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology 2001, the AES algorithm is a symmetric block cypher that may be used to encrypt and decode digital data in blocks of 128 bits as is useful in encrypting and decrypting data using cryptographic keys of 128, 192, and 256 bits. It specifies an algorithm that can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination of these which will be discussed further in terms of particular implementation since it varies depending on several variables, including the technology being utilized, the environment, and the application itself. The algorithm must be used in combination with a mode of operation that has been authorized by FIPS or suggested by NIST which are internationally known standards.
Single Key Encryption (Symmetric Key Encryption): BitLocker
One of the applications that use AES is a disk encryption tool called Bitlocker which comes in Microsoft Windows and its intended function is to safeguard data by offering volume-level encryption. It offers symmetric key encryption, in which encryption and decryption are completed with the same key referred to as the Full Volume Encryption Key (FVEK) when discussing BitLocker. With BitLocker made right into Windows, you can effectively capture the events of risks of data theft from cyberattacks, stolen, or poorly maintained computer hardware as it ensures the protection of all the data that should not land in unauthorized personnel by encrypting the whole Windows disk, including swap, hibernation, and private users and system files. This ensures that unwanted access through other operating systems or hacking tools is denied. It looks at the integrity of the operating system and uses full disk encryption.
The majority of computer systems come with a hardware chip called a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), which may be used to improve security and authentication in the form of a single key encryption because the TPM is entrenched, enemies find it a problem to access its contents (Guruprasad,2017). BitLocker offers extra security features including a user-entered Personal Identification Number (PIN) and may be set up to work with or without TPM. For increased storage security, many combinations may be used: TPM with a PIN, TPM with USB drive-based keys, or TPM with a user-entered PIN and USB drive-based keys among others.
In terms of its mode of operation, Bitlocker as an application using AES applies a large and great series of events to attain its aim for symmetric key encryption. A drive creates a Volume Master Key (VMK) which is a randomly generated key, upon activation; trigger. Thereafter, the chosen safeguards like patterns, passwords, PINs, USB keys, or combinations of them are used to encrypt this VMK, as described earlier. The VMK will serve as the main source of the Full Volume Encryption Key (FVEK), which is the real symmetric key used for data encryption and decryption later by the user. One or more Key Protectors, such as Patterns, TPMs, PINs, USB keys, or Active Directory credentials, can further encrypt the FVEK. The information of the encrypted disk, BitLocker contains the encrypted FVEK and details about the key protectors. Users, therefore, must give the necessary key protector, such as by entering a PIN or inserting a USB key, to unlock the disk and hence the information or data is protected at all costs.
Many BitLocker users are inadvertently employing hardware encryption due to the default setting, which exposes them to the same risks in software encryption therefore we should reevaluate whether we see hardware encryption as the only means of data protection without active software encryption or as a layered defence (Juremi et al.2021).
Public/Private Key Encryption (Asymmetric Key Encryption): Signal
Popular encrypted communications software Signal prioritizes security and privacy because of its end-to-end encryption, which keeps messages between conversing users secure, it is well known that the signal combines asymmetric encryption with AES to secure communication and prevent leakages of information to other unauthorized persons. In hardware implementations, for instance, signals are crucial for organizing and coordinating the sequential execution of AES rounds, ensuring the correct and exact timing and synchronization needed for each cryptographic operation at a given time (Katkade & Phade,2016). These signals ensure direct navigation of data through various sites where they are processed in stages, like SubBytes, ShiftRows, MixColumns, and AddRoundKey, enabling the algorithm to change plaintext into ciphertext and vice versa. In software implementations, signals may be implicit in the form of control flow and data dependencies, causing an influence on the execution of AES operations.
In terms of operations, the fundamental of Signal’s encryption technique is public-key cryptography, in which any responsible user has two cryptographic keys which are usually a private key that is kept safely on their device and a public key that is displayed easily over the public. In an attempt to guarantee that only the receiver or receiving end and their matching private key can decode and access the information without mismatch, the sender encrypts messages using the recipient’s public key. Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) is incorporated into Signal to prevent already existing communications from being impacted by the compromising of one key set which is either the public or the private key. The end-to-end encryption procedure is governed by the Signal Protocol, which serves as an application of AES for strong security. To avoid interception, a secure protocol is used for key exchange. The security of the private key, which maintains communication secrecy, is essential to Signal’s trust architecture.
Conclusion
To sum up, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a crucial cryptographic method as discussed in the field of cybersecurity that offers a strong basis for data security, protection and safe communication. This report has captured real-world applications of AES in contemporary security services, emphasizing the technology’s relevance in tackling the dynamic risks and challenges in the modern world. The report further highlights how the US government replaced the Data Encryption Standard (DES) with AES, showcasing its effectiveness and dependability as it increases efficiency and security by making sure that the same key is used for both encryption and decryption. This paper explores two real-world AES applications, BitLocker and Signal, showing how they use AES for various security in detail.
References
Advanced Encryption Standard. (2022, January 31). Wikipedia.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Encryption_Standard#:~:text=The%20Advanced%20Encryption%20Standard%20(AES
Guruprasad, B. V. BitLocker Full Disk Encryption. 2017
Hamouda, B. E. H. H. (2020). Comparative study of different cryptographic algorithms. Journal of Information Security, 11(3), 138-148.
Juremi, J., Mahendran, C. N., Naseri, M. V., & Sulaiman, S. (2021, December). FlashSafe: USB Flash Drives Encryption Tool with AES Algorithm. In 2021 14th International Conference on Developments in eSystems Engineering (DeSE) (pp. 537-540). IEEE.
Katkade, P., & Phade, G. M. (2016, August). Application of AES algorithm for data security in serial communication. In 2016 International Conference on Inventive Computation Technologies (ICICT) (Vol. 3, pp. 1-5). IEEE.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (2001) Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES). (Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.), Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS) NIST FIPS 197-upd1, updated
write