NIST selects Ascon for new lightweight cryptography standard

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will include the Ascon group of algorithms in its lightweight cryptography standard. Ascon was one of 10 finalists selected from 57 submissions in a four-year international competition led by NIST. The algorithms are designed to provide authenticated encryption with associated data (AEAD), which allows data collectors to check the integrity of encrypted and unencrypted information sent from small IoT devices. This is important for ensuring data security in the growing IoT and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) sector.