Which of the following accurately describes a characteristic of AES-128?

AES-128, or Advanced Encryption Standard with a 128-bit key, is particularly recognized for its robust security features. It was established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and has been extensively evaluated for its security against various types of attacks. Its design allows for strong encryption that is efficient and secure for a wide range of applications.

The strength of AES-128 comes from its key length, which, while shorter than the options of AES-192 and AES-256, still offers a substantial level of security that is considered sufficient for most current applications. It has not been compromised, and as of the latest assessments, there are no practical attacks that effectively break AES with a key size of 128 bits, making it a standard choice for securing sensitive data.

In contrast, other alternatives mentioned are either not true to AES-128's characteristics or reflect outdated or incorrect information about its usage and robustness. For instance, it does not use a 56-bit key, which is a characteristic of DES (Data Encryption Standard) instead. Additionally, AES-128 provides flexibility in terms of operational modes and key management, allowing it to be adapted for different security requirements, rather than being described as having very limited variability. Lastly, labeling AES