Explaining Cryptosystems to the General Public

1999

Modern cryptography can achieve levels of security and authentication that non-specialists find literally incredible. Techniques include information-hiding protocols, zero-knowledge proofs and public key cryptosystems; they can be used to support applications like digital signatures, digital cash, on-line poker and secure voting in ways that are provably secure-far more secure than the traditional systems they replace. This paper describes simple versions of such applications that have been used to give school-children and the general public a broad understanding of what can be achieved, and how.

2003

Modern cryptography can achieve levels of security and authentication that non-specialists find literally incredible. Techniques including information-hiding protocols, zero-knowledge proofs and public key cryptosystems can be used to support applications like digital signatures, digital cash, on-line poker and secure voting in ways that are provably secure-far more secure than the traditional systems they replace. This paper describes simple versions of such applications that have been used to give school-children and the general public a broad understanding of what can be achieved, and how. The material has been extensively and successfully used by the authors in schools, science festivals and with undergraduates, and even postgraduate specialists. #

2011

The theory and applications of cryptography are complicated and hard to follow for undergraduate students with less mathematical background. For this reason, instead of plain theoretical teaching, we applied different, interactive approach. Open-source CrypTool software allowed us to practically demonstrate all current private and public-key algorithms and protocols. This paper describes our teaching model and experience. Positive feedback received from students confirms the advantages of adopted approach with respect to traditional teaching.

2008

Cryptography has become an important topic in undergraduate curricula in mathematics and computer science, not just for its intrinsic interest-"about the most fun you can have with mathematics"[7], but for its current standing as the basis for almost all computer security. From wireless networking to secure email to password protection, cryptographic methods are used to secure information, to protect users, and to protect data. At Victoria University, cryptography has been taught as part of a mathematics and computer science degree for several years. The students all have had at least a year of tertiary mathematics, and some exposure to a computer algebra system (Maple). However, the cost of Maple, and the current licensing agreement, means that students are unable to experiment with the software away from the computer laboratories at the University. For this reason we have decided to investigate the use of open-source computer algebra systems Maxima and Axiom. Although not as full-featured and powerful as the commercial systems Maple and Mathematica, we show they are in fact admirably suited for a subject such as cryptography. In some ways Maxima and Axiom even surpass Maple and Mathematica. Student response to the introduction of these systems has been very positive.

Sentio, 2019

This paper considers the political implications of the public-key cryptosystems which secure communication over popular messaging programs such as WhatsApp, and underwrite the blockchain infrastructures of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. While the distribution of privacy and security through access to cryptography has been a salient topic in academic and public discourse, less has been written about cryptographic mechanisms themselves. Public-key cryptography makes use of a mathematical concept called the one-way function. One-way functions are assumed to be easy to compute in one direction, but difficult to reverse. However, one-way functions have an unusual relationship to validity: they rely on conjectures about computing which have not been proven. This property is considered in relationship to Michel Foucault's concept of the unthought to suggest that it reflects the condition of the modern episteme. This takes on a political dimension in the uncertain conditions of cryptographic design, where national security interests often lead to the restriction of research. Furthermore, cryptographers must design systems which are resistant to both external adversaries as well as malicious users. Cryptosystems must therefore be designed against the users who they nominally protect. The confluence of epistemic uncertainty and practical insecurity makes distrust endemic in cryptographic research. This outlook enacts a logic of suspicion at the level of its design; as applications based on cryptography attain wider circulation, this will have increasing social effects.

The Basics of Cryptography: For the Average User… Basically, I explain the basic concepts of Cryptography.

IFIP — International Federation for Information Processing, 2000

Knowledge of mathematical foundations of Cryptography is of paramount importance for students wanting to succeed in graduate degree programs in Computer Science with concentration in security. Cryptography, a relatively new field, has yet to establish a core set of topics and the optimal sequence of their presentation to prepare students for a career in the field of IT security. This paper presents syllabi of two courses on public and private key crj^tography offered to continuing education students at Boston University.

Two sorts of contemporary improvements in cryptography are analysed. Extending the use of teleprocessing has created a need for new types of cryptographic systems that reduce the need for safe key circulation networks and have anything akin to a written label. This paper suggests strategies for addressing these already unresolved questions. It also discusses how communications and computation hypotheses are beginning to provide tools for addressing long-standing cryptographic concerns.