[Carlos Martes]

One common symmetric cipher is AES, which stands for advanced encryption standard. In simple terms, AES is like a very strong digital lock that uses one key to both lock and unlock information. Because the same key is used on both ends, the sender and the receiver must both have a copy of that key. If someone does not have the key, they cannot read the protected information. You can think of it like a locked box; i put a message inside, lock it with a key, and send the box to you. Since you have the same key, you can open it and read what i wrote. Anyone else who grabs the box on the way cant open it because they don’t have the key. AES is widely trusted because it is fast, secure and used in many everyday technologies like online banking, WIFI protection and secure messaging.