AES

The Advanced Encryption Standard is a symmetric block cipher, based on the Rijndael cipher. It was standardised by NIST in 2001 on FIPS 197.

Summary of ANSSI rules and recommendations

Rule or recommendation	Comments
ANSSI: recommended or obsolete?	Recommended
RègleBlocSym	Follows rule 2, OK for long-term use (beyond 2026).
RecommendationBlocSym	Recommended, block size if 128 bits.
RègleCléSym	Follows rule 2, OK for long-term use (beyond 2026).
RecommendationCléSym	Recommended, minimum key length if 128 bits.
RègleBlocSym	OK for use up to 2025. OK for long-term use (beyond 2026). With a block size \(n=128\) a single key can be used to encrypt \(2^{n/2 - 5} = 2^{59}\) blocks.

Overview

There are three variants standardised by FIPS 197: AES-128, AES-192, AES-256. The differences between variants are the key size (128, 192, and 256 bits respectively) and the number of rounds.

All three variants have a block size of 128 bits, meaning that they can only encrypt or decrypt 128 bits of data. To address larger data sizes, they are used with a mode of operation, which chains calls to the block cipher to process arbitrary amounts of data[1].

Modes of operation

There are two types of modes of operation: confidentiality-only and authenticated modes. The latter ensures both the confidentiality of the message as well as its integrity, so using these modes should be preferred when possible. Note that confidentiality-only modes are used by authenticated modes, and that the following recommendations apply when using these modes to construct authenticated ones.

Confidentiality-only modes

These modes of operation require an IV, which must either be:

• a value generated with a cryptographically secure pseudo-random number generator;

• a value that must be used only once (a nonce).

The different modes of operation are:

Classic modes of operation

Mode	Status	Comments
CTR	Recommended	Stream mode: never re-use the same (key, IV) pair as this allows an attacker to recover the XOR of both plaintexts.
OFB	Recommended	Stream mode: never re-use the same (key, IV) pair as this allows an attacker to recover the XOR of both plaintexts.
CBC	Recommended	Requires padding, as it treats messages whose length is a multiple of the block size. Since it requires padding, implementations must ensure the decryption process prevents padding oracle attacks. TLS 1.3 has eliminated support for CBC.
CBC-CS	Recommended
CFB	Recommended	Requires padding, as it treats messages whose length is a multiple of the block size. Since it requires padding, implementations must ensure the decryption process prevents padding oracle attacks.

Authenticated modes

The modes GCM, CCM, and EAX are recommended when used with a recommended primitive such as AES.

AEAD modes of operation

Mode	Status	Comments
CCM	Recommended
GCM	Recommended	Never re-use an IV. GCM, like other counter modes, is a stream cipher, so using the same (key, IV) pair leaks information on the plaintext. GCM is only recommended if the IV is 96 bits long and is constructed with the deterministic construction. Given that the block size of AES is 128 bits, a single key can be used to encrypt up to \(2^{39} - 256\) bits or \(2^{32} - 2\) blocks. The MAC must be at least 128 bits, meaning that it can’t be truncated.
EAX	Recommended

Constructions

Constructions refer to ways of combining a (block) cipher with a Message Authentication Code (MAC) to ensure both the confidentiality and the authenticity of the message.

Constructions

Construction	Status	Comments
Encrypt-then-MAC	Recommended	The keys used for encryption and the computation of the MAC must be independent. The integrity of the IV or nonce used by the encryption must be ensured.
Mac-then-Encrypt	Deprecated	The keys used for encryption and the computation of the MAC must be independent. The integrity of the IV or nonce used by the encryption must be ensured.
Encrypt-and-MAC	Deprecated	The keys used for encryption and the computation of the MAC must be independent. The integrity of the IV or nonce used by the encryption must be ensured.

ANSSI rules and recommendations

Source: ANSSI - Guide des mécanismes cryptographiques

Symmetric keys

RègleCléSym

1. For symmetric keys used up to 2025, the minimum length is 112 bits.

2. For symmetric keys used from 2026 onwards, the minimum length is 128 bits.

RecommandationCléSym

The minimum recommended length for symmetric keys is 128 bits.

Block ciphers

RègleBlocSym

1. For use up to 2025, the minimum block size is 64 bits.

2. For use from 2026 onwards, the minimum block size is 128 bits.

3. The maximum number of blocks encrypted with a single key is \(2^{n/2 - 5}\), where \(n\) is the block size in bits.

RecommendationBlocSym

The recommended block size for block ciphers is 128 bits.

RègleAlgoBloc

1. For an algorithm used up to the end of 2025, no attack requiring less than \(2^{100}\) operations must be known.

2. For an algorithm used in 2026 and beyond, no attack requiring less than \(2^{125}\) operations must be known.

RecommendationAlgoBlog

1. It is recommended to use block cipher algorithms that are well-tested and scrutinized by academia.

Modes of operation

RègleModeChiff

1. There must be no attack of complexity less than \(2^{n/2}\) calls of the primitive, where \(n\) is the bit size of the block.

RecommandationModeChiff

1. The use of a non-deterministic encryption mode of operation is recommended.

2. An encryption mode of operation will be preferably used with an integrity mechanism. This mechanism can be independent from the encryption mode.

3. Preferably use modes of operation that have a security proof.

Stream ciphers

RègleChiffFlot

1. For a stream cipher algorithm used up to the end of 2025, there must not be a known attack requiring less than \(2^{100}\) operations.

2. For a stream cipher algorithm used in 2026 and beyond, there must not be a known attack requiring less than \(2^{125}\) operations.

RecommendationChiffFlot

1. It is recommended to use block cipher primitives instead of stream cipher ones. If the properties of a stream cipher are required, it is possible to use a mode of operation of a block cipher that is recommended and emulates a stream cipher.

2. If a stream cipher is used, it is recommended that the algorithm used has been scrutinized by academia.

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[1]

There are limitations linked to the key size and IV to maintain the security guarantees of the system.