The document discusses the Data Encryption Standard (DES) cipher. It was the most widely used symmetric cipher but has been replaced by the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). DES encrypts data in 64-bit blocks using a 56-bit key. It operates by applying an initial permutation to the plaintext block, dividing it into halves, and performing 16 rounds of substitution and permutation using 48-bit subkeys generated from the main key. Each round includes expanding, XORing with the subkey, and applying S-boxes and permutations to provide diffusion and confusion.