Credit: Computer encryption symbol / Shutterstock Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is the successor to the Data Encryption Standard (DES). AES can run with a 128-, 192- or 256-bit key to encrypt. How long will it be until AES is obsolete? Possibly never. There are 340 billion billion billion billion 128-bit keys; if you had a billion computers, each one of which could crack a billion keys a second, it would still take more than 10 trillion years to try all 128-bit keys. More on encryption: What is cryptography? How algorithms keep information secret and safe Marriott admits it falsely claimed for five years it was using encryption during 2018 breach What is SSL? How SSL certificates enable encrypted communication 3 top enterprise file encryption programs compared US government could mandate quantum-resistant encryption from July SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe