256-bit AES

AES-256, or Advanced Encryption Standard with a 256-bit key, is a symmetric encryption algorithm developed by the U.S. government to protect classified data. It is a widely accepted standard for encrypting information and is used in various sectors, including government, healthcare data storage services and businesses and small to large scale enterprises operating in highly regulated industries.

How does AES-256 bit Encryption really works?

The AES-256 follows several steps :

Block Division: AES-256 uses a 128-bit block size, dividing the plaintext into 4×4 arrays that contain 16 bytes, each byte containing 8 bits. The total bits in every block are 128.

Round Key Generation: The AES-256 uses a key expansion process in which the initial key is used to generate new keys called round keys. The round keys are generated over multiple rounds of modification. Each round makes it harder to break the encryption.

Substitution and Transposition: Each byte of data is substituted with another byte, following a predetermined table. The rows of the 4×4 array are shifted, alternatively. Columns are mixed, combining the four bytes in each column, and the round key is added to the block.

AES-256 encryption is considered extremely secure and virtually uncrackable, even with the most advanced computing power and algorithms.

Is there are statistics or recommendations on use of AES 256 ?

Yes there are many sources that recommend the use of AES 256 bit encryption. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) selected AES as the encryption standard in 2001. NIST recommends AES for federal use in the United States and, specifically, AES-256 for the protection of sensitive information in it’s NIST Special Publication 800-57 Part 1, “Recommendation for Key Management: Part 1: General”.

Various research studies and white papers in the field of cryptography often discuss the security of AES-256. One example is “The Design of Rijndael: AES – The Advanced Encryption Standard” by Vincent Rijmen and Joan Daemen, the creators of the AES algorithm.

How does AES-256 compare to previous versions of AES?

AES-256, AES-192, and AES-128 are all versions of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption algorithm, the difference lies in their key lengths. The key length refers to the number of bits used to create the encryption key. The higher the key length, the more secure the encryption. AES-256 uses a 256-bit key, making it the most secure encryption compared to AES-128 and AES-192. It has the highest level of security due to its larger key size, which reduces the chance of successful attacks. Hence AES-256 bit is most suitable for storing sensitive data and also has a better protection against cyber-attacks.

How ProDash utilizes AES-256 bit Encryption in it’s Data Center Hosting Services ?

AES-256 encryption can significantly enhance your data center hosting services business by providing robust security for your customers’ data. Here’s how:

  1. Data Protection: AES-256 encryption ensures that the data stored in our servers is protected from unauthorized access. Since AES-256 is a symmetric encryption algorithm, it uses the same secret key for both encryption and decryption. This means that only authorized individuals with the correct key can access the data.
  1. Compliant with Government Regulations: AES-256 encryption can helps our business to be compliant with US and European regulations by providing a high level of data security.
  1. Enhancing Trust with our Customers: AES-256 encryption demonstrates to our customers that we prioritize the data security.
  2. Resilient and Future Proof Infrastructure: With our best in class hardware and superior computing capabilities AES-256 is considered future-proof and resilient. As it provides a high level of security that is currently unbreakable and impenetrable.
  1. Reducing Risks In Our Operations-: AES-256 is considered extremely secure and is nearly impossible to crack using brute-force methods. This reduces the risk of data breaches and helps to keep our client’s data safe and secure

How cloud computing helps us to implement 256-bit AES Encryption?

Securing Communications: AES is widely used in protocols for internet communications, emails, instant messaging, and voice/video calls. It ensures that the data remains confidential

Data Storage: AES is used to encrypt sensitive data stored on hard drives, USB drives, and other storage media, protecting it from unauthorized access in case of loss or theft

Secure Storage of Passwords: AES encryption is commonly employed to store passwords securely. Instead of storing plaintext passwords, the encrypted version is stored. This adds an extra layer of security and protects user credentials in case of unauthorized access to the storage

File and Disk Encryption: AES is used to encrypt files and folders on computers, external storage devices, and cloud storage. It protects sensitive data stored on devices or during data transfer to prevent unauthorized access