The Advanced Standard Encryption (AES) cipher is now available as an encryption method for communication with the Reporting Server. In the WebFOCUS Administration Console, Reporting Servers, Remote Services area, select a server and click Modify to access the ENCRYPTION variable.

The format for the AES selections is

CIPHER(x)(-MODE)

where:

• CIPHER is AES128, AES192, AES256.
• x is optional and defines an RSA key length of 1024 bits.
• MODE is optional and is either Electronic Code Book (ECB) or Cipher Block Chaining (CBC).

For example, AES256x-CBC is the AES cipher, with 1024-bit RSA keys, and CBC mode. If the RSA or mode is not specified, then the default values are used. The RSA default value is 512 bits. The mode default value is ECB.

When using any of the AES encryption ciphers, the client randomly generates a new RSA key pair (public and private keys of the specified length) and sends the public key to the server. Upon receipt of the public key, the server generates a random secret key. The length of the secret key depends on the chosen cipher strength. The secret key is encrypted with the public RSA key and sent back to the client, which decrypts it with its private RSA key. After the exchange, the client and the server both share the same secret key, and use it to encrypt and decrypt all communications between them.