U.S. Picks AES Encryption Spec -- Belgian formula seen overcoming DES's vulnerability to hackers and hardware requirements

Belgian cryptographers may have unlocked the way toward a truly global encryption standard. Last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce chose the Rijndael data encryption formula as the basis for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), ending a three-year process during which 15 encryption techniques were considered.

After its expected approval next spring, AES will replace the aging Data Encryption Standard (DES), adopted in 1977 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and used by federal agencies to protect sensitive information. DES and a variant called Triple DES also are used widely in the private sector, especially in the financial services industry to secure transactions.

Rijndael was developed by Joan Daemen of Proton World International and Vincent Rijmen of Katholieke Univiersiteit Leuven.