Cryptographic technology, unlike other information technologies, has been rather stodgy and secretive. But a few years ago, National Institute of Standards and Technology officials re-energized cryptography by holding a global competition and inviting cryptographers to submit their best encryption algorithms.

From those submissions, NIST experts selected a fast and tough-to-break algorithm to be the federal government's most advanced encryption standard. They bestowed a modest name, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), on the speedy new algorithm, and cryptography suddenly got new legs.

By Florence Olsen at FCW.

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