Algorithm from TU Graz Becomes International Cryptography Standard

By Falko Schoklitsch - The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has named the "Ascon" algorithm developed in part at TU Graz as the international standard for lightweight cryptography. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced yesterday, 7 February 2023 , that the Ascon algorithm developed at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has been selected as the standard for lightweight cryptography after a multi-stage and multi-year selection process. Since the NIST standards are of great importance internationally in the field of information security and are used practically everywhere, Ascon will take over the encryption in the future worldwide for applications with only limited electronic resources. Lightweight cryptography deals with cryptographic methods that are particularly suitable for use in resource-constrained environments, for example RFID tags or sensors, due to their low resource requirements. This applies in particular to the Internet of Things with its numerous small sensors and actuators, as only little energy and power is available here. Ascon is also suitable for miniature technologies such as medical implants or keyless car openers. The decision in favour of the algorithm from TU Graz was based on the fact that it is fast, small and easy to implement securely, even in the presence of implementation attacks.