Advance Encryption Standard

Advance Encryption standard is symmetric key encryption technique that is secure enough to protect classified information up to Top Level Secrets. AES technique is based on same size(128 bit) key length and data block. AES runs two main processes i.e Key Generation and Enciphering. Output from key generation is used in enciphering. The complete process of encryption from plain text to cipher text is achieved in 4 steps.

Key Generation Process

Step 1: Key Expansion
The user defined original alpha numeric source key is converted to hexadecimal format of 128 bit key. This key is then arranged in to 4 sets, 32 bit each are called words. Four words wo,w1,w2 and w3 and originally achieved from source key.
Source Key My Secret Code! 2b7e1516 Hex Output 28aed2a6 abf71588 09cf4f3c

W0

W1

W2

W3

* Step 1 has three sub steps.

Step A: Rotate Words: In rotate word step, every word left 8 high bits are shifted to right side
on the start as low bits.
2b 7e 15 16 28 ae d2 a6 ab f7 15 88 09 cf 4f 3c cf 4f 3c 09 New wo, w1, w2 and w3 - 7e 15 16 2b ae d2 a6 28 f7 15 88 ab

Step B: Substitute Words: A substitution grid table is used to substitute wo, w1, w2 and w3 for new values. The first ltr 7 of wo word correspond to a row and second e to a column. The grid intersecting point of row and column contains a value that will be use for 7e. In substitution grid table the values for 7e is F3, for 15 is 59, for 16 is 47 and for 2b is F1. Now the new wo will became as F3 59 47 F1. The same procedure happens for w1,w2 and w3. Step C: Word ORD with Rcon Values: Rcon (R0 - R14) are predefined 8 digit fixed integer values like Rcon 0 = [01000000]. Rcon values are Xored with corresponding wo, w1,w2 and w3 to produce final 4 keys of Round 0. All these 4 keys words w0, w1, w2 and w3 are arranged in matrix form as Ro. Now keys for Round 1, Round 2..Round 10 will be produce by following procedure. set temp = w (i-1) If i is 4,8,12( multiple of 4) then perform step a, b, c

Ali Fayyaz

(MS-ISM, ZABIST University Islamabad)

Else End.

set temp w = (i-4) temp.

This procedure will produce 44 keys for R1-R10.

Enciphering Process
Step 2: Initial Round: A 128 bit hexadecimal data block in 4x4 matrix form is xored with
Ro. The produce result is called Initial State Matrix.

Step 3: Regular Rounds:

Enciphering Step 3 has four sub steps.

Step A: Substitute Matrix: Each value of state matrix is substituted in light of substitution
grid table to get new values for State Matrix.

Step B: Row Shift in Matrix: With no change in first row of state matrix the 2nd row is shifted left by one byte, 3rd row is shifted left by two byte and 4th row is shifted by three bytes. A new re-ordered state matrix will be produced as result of step B. Step C: Multiplication of State Matrix: State matrix is multiplied by a fixed content matrix to produce a new state matrix.

Ali Fayyaz

(MS-ISM, ZABIST University Islamabad)

New BA is result of (02 * 63) (03 * 2F) (01 *AF) (01 * A2) Step D: State Matrix is ORD with R1 key Matrix: Each value of state matrix is xored with
corresponding value of R1 key matrix to produce first round output. Nine times repetition of step A,B and C in Regular Round will produce a final state matrix as an Output.

Step 4: Final Round:

Final Round is again repetition of Step3 with exclusive of Step C only. The D

step will produce final output as data block is completely transformed in to cipher text.

Ali Fayyaz

(MS-ISM, ZABIST University Islamabad)