Which standard has replaced the Data Encryption Standard (DES)?

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) has replaced the Data Encryption Standard (DES) as the preferred encryption algorithm. AES was established as the encryption standard by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2001 to address the weaknesses found in DES.

DES had several limitations, particularly its key length of only 56 bits, which made it vulnerable to brute-force attacks as computing power increased over time. AES addresses these security concerns by supporting key sizes of 128, 192, and 256 bits, which provide a significantly higher level of security. Additionally, AES is based on a different structure called the substitution-permutation network, which enhances its performance and security compared to its predecessor.

Due to its stronger encryption capabilities and efficiency, AES is widely used in various applications, making it the standard for encrypting sensitive data today.