AES
also: Advanced Encryption Standard, Rijndael
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a symmetric encryption algorithm that uses a single key to encrypt and decrypt data. It's the modern standard for securing sensitive information in Linux systems.
AES is a block cipher that encrypts data in 128-bit blocks using cryptographic keys of 128, 192, or 256 bits. The larger the key, the more secure the encryption. AES was adopted by the U.S. government in 2001 and is now the worldwide standard for encrypting classified information.
In Linux, AES is commonly used in disk encryption tools like dm-crypt and LUKS to protect entire filesystems or individual volumes. For example, you might use AES-256 when setting up full-disk encryption on a laptop to prevent unauthorized access if the device is stolen.
Unlike asymmetric encryption (which uses public and private keys), AES requires both sender and receiver to possess the same secret key, making it faster but requiring secure key distribution. Most modern Linux security applications rely on AES for their encryption backbone.