scope:

This standard specifies an architecture for encryption of data in random access storage devices, oriented toward applications that benefit from wide encryption-block sizes of 512 bytes and above.

Purpose

This standard specifies an architecture for media security and enabling components. Wide encryption blocks are well suited to environments where the attacker has repeated access to cryptographic communication or ciphertext, or is able to perform traffic analysis of data access patterns. The standard is oriented toward fixed-size encryption blocks without data expansion, but anticipates an optional data expansion mode to resist attacks involving data tampering.