| Encryption is the process of storing information in a | | | | adopted as an encryption standard by the US |
| way so as to make it unreadable without special | | | | government. Rijndael is used worldwide and analysed |
| knowledge. Encryption has been used to protect | | | | extensively. Rijndael became effective as a standard |
| communications and secure information for centuries, | | | | May 26, 2002. As of 2006, Rijndael is one of the most |
| but only organizations and individuals with an great | | | | popular algorithms used in symmetric key |
| need for secrecy had made use of it. | | | | cryptography. |
| Julius Caeser is the first known user of an encryption | | | | The cipher was developed by two Belgian |
| system. His system was known as Caeser's keys. He | | | | cryptographers, Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen, |
| wanted to send messages, but did not want the | | | | from whose surnames the term Rijndael was |
| messengers to read them. To prevent this, he used an | | | | conceived. The cipher was submitted to the AES |
| alphabetic substitution in his messages; replacing "A" | | | | selection process, stating that Rijndael was designed |
| with "D", "B" with "E", "C with "F", etc. The recipient of | | | | based on the following three criteria: |
| the message was aware of the secret of the | | | | 1) Resistance against all known attacks |
| encryption, so for him it was very straightforward to | | | | 2) Speed and code compactness on a wide range of |
| decipher the message. | | | | platforms |
| An example of a sentence using Caeser's keys is | | | | 3) Design simplicity |
| below. It is not difficult to see the pattern. | | | | Rijndael was evaluated by the National Security |
| Plain Text: THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED | | | | Agency (NSA), based on its security, its cost and its |
| OVER THE LAZY DOG | | | | algorithm and implementation characteristics. There |
| Cipher Text: WKH TXLFN EURZQ IRA MXPSHG | | | | were several candidate algorithms, but Rijndael was |
| RYHU WKH ODCB GRJ | | | | selected as it had the best combination of security, |
| Obviously, this method of encryption is not very | | | | performance, efficiency, ease of implementation and |
| secure. Though encryption has been around for | | | | flexibility. NSA stated that Rijndael was secure enough |
| thousands of years, only in the last century have we | | | | for US Government non-classified data. In June 2003, |
| seen great advancement in the field of cryptography. | | | | the US Government announced that Rijndael may be |
| The invention of computers changed the face of | | | | used for classified information. |
| cryptography completely. Computers were able to | | | | It is the mark of good quality software if it uses the |
| calculate much faster than the people who worked on | | | | Rijndael encryption method to secure information. |
| them, and suddenly an encrypted message could be | | | | One such program is Info Manager. PortaWhiz Info |
| broken within a few minutes on a normal PC, and | | | | Manager uses the Rijndael encrytion method to keep |
| consequesntly the message was no longer secure. In | | | | your information secure. The program gives you one |
| response to the need for new and secure methods of | | | | place on your Pocket PC your desktop where you |
| encryption, the cryptographic world flourished in the | | | | can organize and store all of your important |
| latter part of the 20th century. In the mid-1970s, strong | | | | information into neat folders. This means that all your |
| encryption emerged from the preserve of secretive | | | | important information is stored together, in neat and |
| government agencies into the public. | | | | tidy bundles; which are easy to retrieve at any time |
| In cryptography, the Advanced Encryption Standard | | | | you require. Only the bearer of the administrator |
| (AES); also known as Rijndael, is a block cipher | | | | password will then possibly be able to access it. |