[PDF] Configuring Password Encryption - Cisco

What does AES encryption stand for?

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a symmetric cryptographic algorithm that was established by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) back in 2001. It is a specification for the encryption of electronic data and is a subset of the Rijndael block cipher that was created by Belgian cryptographers.

How safe is AES 256 bit encryption?

Whatever breakthrough might crack 128-bit will probably also crack 256-bit. In the end, AES has never been cracked yet and is safe against any brute force attacks contrary to belief and arguments.

How does AES encryption work?

The AES encryption algorithm goes through multiple rounds of encryption. It can even go through 9, 11, or 13 rounds of this. Each round involves the same steps below. Divide the data into blocks. Key expansion. Add the round key. Substitute/replacement of the bytes. Shift the rows. Mix the columns. Add a round key again. Do it all over again.