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But people are also concerned about the impact quantum computing will have on cryptography and whether modern encryption methods will still be sufficient to protect data. While the threat could still be years away, data center managers and security teams should be familiar with it and collaborate to be prepared. This idea is sometimes expressed as \u201charvest now, decrypt later\u201d \u2014 and it\u2019s one of the reasons computers need to start encrypting data with post-quantum techniques as soon as possible. Data Encryption Standard is an outdated symmetric encryption standard created in 1977 to protect government agencies. The system\u2019s key length was a mere 56 bits\u2014not nearly enough to keep cybercriminals from cracking the code.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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DES served as the linchpin of government cryptography for years until 1999, when researchers broke the algorithm’s 56-bit key using a distributed computer system. In 2000, the U.S. government chose to use AES to protect classified information. During decryption, the message recipient uses a copy of the cipher to remove the various layers of encryption and convert the ciphertext back into plaintext. Post-conversion, they can read the message, knowing that it was not intercepted or read by anyone else. Secure sensitive data and enforce privacy across hybrid and multicloud environments with IBM\u2019s integrated encryption, centralized visibility and automated threat and risk reduction.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n