Codes The Guide to Secrecy from Ancient to Modern Times

(Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

Richard A. Mollin

Chapman and Hall/CRC | 2005 | 700 páginas | pdf | 4,1 Mb

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From the Rosetta Stone to public-key cryptography, the art and science of cryptology has been used to unlock the vivid history of ancient cultures, to turn the tide of warfare, and to thwart potential hackers from attacking computer systems. Codes: The Guide to Secrecy from Ancient to Modern Times explores the depth and breadth of the field, remaining accessible to the uninitiated while retaining enough rigor for the seasoned cryptologist.
The book begins by tracing the development of cryptology from that of an arcane practice used, for example, to conceal alchemic recipes, to the modern scientific method that is studied and employed today. The remainder of the book explores the modern aspects and applications of cryptography, covering symmetric- and public-key cryptography, cryptographic protocols, key management, message authentication, e-mail and Internet security, and advanced applications such as wireless security, smart cards, biometrics, and quantum cryptography. The author also includes non-cryptographic security issues and a chapter devoted to information theory and coding. Nearly 200 diagrams, examples, figures, and tables along with abundant references and exercises complement the discussion.
Written by leading authority and best-selling author on the subject Richard A. Mollin, Codes: The Guide to Secrecy from Ancient to Modern Times is the essential reference for anyone interested in this exciting and fascinating field, from novice to veteran practitioner.

Contents
From the riddles of ancient Egypt to cryptography in the Renaissance - 3500 years in the making
From sixteenth-century cryptography to the new millennium - the last 500 years
Symmetric-key cryptography
Public-key cryptography
Cryptographic protocols
Key management
Message authentication
Electronic mail and internet security
Applications and the future
Noncryptographic security issues
Information theory and coding
Appendix A: Mathematical facts
Appendix B: Pseudorandom number generation
Appendix C: Factoring large integers
Appendix D: Technical and advanced details
Appendix E: Probability theory
Appendix F: Recognizing primes
Appendix G: Exercises

The code book : the evolution of secrecy from Mary Queen of Scots to quantum cryptography

Simon Singh

Anchor Books | 1999 | 411 páginas | epub | 5,3 Mb

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People love secrets. Ever since the first word was written, humans have sent coded messages to each other. In The Code Book, Simon Singh, author of the bestselling Fermat's Enigma, offers a peek into the world of cryptography and codes, from ancient texts through computer encryption. Singh's compelling history is woven through with stories of how codes and ciphers have played a vital role in warfare, politics, and royal intrigue. The major theme of The Code Book is what Singh calls "the ongoing evolutionary battle between codemakers and codebreakers," never more clear than in the chapters devoted to World War II. Cryptography came of age during that conflict, as secret communications became critical to both sides' success.

Confronted with the prospect of defeat, the Allied cryptanalysts had worked night and day to penetrate German ciphers. It would appear that fear was the main driving force, and that adversity is one of the foundations of successful codebreaking.

In the information age, the fear that drives cryptographic improvements is both capitalistic and libertarian--corporations need encryption to ensure that their secrets don't fall into the hands of competitors and regulators, and ordinary people need encryption to keep their everyday communications private in a free society. Similarly, the battles for greater decryption power come from said competitors and governments wary of insurrection.

The Code Book is an excellent primer for those wishing to understand how the human need for privacy has manifested itself through cryptography. Singh's accessible style and clear explanations of complex algorithms cut through the arcane mathematical details without oversimplifying. --Therese Littleton

Contents

Epigraph

Introduction

1 The Cipher of Mary Queen of Scots

2 Le Chiffre Indéchiffrable

3 The Mechanization of Secrecy

4 Cracking the Enigma

5 The Language Barrier

6 Alice and Bob Go Public

7 Pretty Good Privacy

8 A Quantum Leap into the Future

The Cipher Challenge

Appendices

Glossary

Acknowledgments

Further Reading