Data Encryption Standard is a 56-bit Block Cipher that uses only one key to encode or decrypt information. The method behind it involves complex permutations and the shifting of binary data into encrypted format as well as mixing and substituting. The entire process is repeated 16 times per round, creating confusion between the original plaintext and the resulting ciphertext as much as possible.

DES isn’t easy to break. Each round involves key mixing, an XOR operation that uses an expansion permutation, and S-box permutation. The latter is the most important aspect of the security of DES. The 32-bit block is split into 8 6-bit parts, and then processed through a set eight nonlinear substitutions called S-boxes. These are tallied using the function f.

After the S-box process The expanded right plain text (RPT) is merged with the left plain text (LPT) to create the final ciphertext block that is 64-bits. This is the first of the series of XOR operations that utilize a 48-bit key that will be used as a basis for a XOR operation utilizing the original key.

The XOR operation that uses the 48-bit key can obscure as much in the possible original relationship between plaintext and the ciphertext. This is the reason why DES is so safe. The encryption algorithm comes with other features, for instance a counter that increments every time a new ciphertext block is created, but they are not important in their ability secure the data.

what is the data encryption standard