The Spartan Scytale and Developments in Ancient and Modern Cryptography
Title | The Spartan Scytale and Developments in Ancient and Modern Cryptography PDF eBook |
Author | Martine Diepenbroek |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Total Pages | 265 |
Release | 2023-11-16 |
Genre | Literary Criticism |
ISBN | 135028128X |
This book offers a comprehensive review and reassessment of the classical sources describing the cryptographic Spartan device known as the scytale. Challenging the view promoted by modern historians of cryptography which look at the scytale as a simple and impractical 'stick', Diepenbroek argues for the scytale's deserved status as a vehicle for secret communication in the ancient world. By way of comparison, Diepenbroek demonstrates that the cryptographic principles employed in the Spartan scytale show an encryption and coding system that is no less complex than some 20th-century transposition ciphers. The result is that, contrary to the accepted point of view, scytale encryption is as complex and secure as other known ancient ciphers. Drawing on salient comparisons with a selection of modern transposition ciphers (and their historical predecessors), the reader is provided with a detailed overview and analysis of the surviving classical sources that similarly reveal the potential of the scytale as an actual cryptographic and steganographic tool in ancient Sparta in order to illustrate the relative sophistication of the Spartan scytale as a practical device for secret communication. This helps to establish the conceptual basis that the scytale would, in theory, have offered its ancient users a secure method for secret communication over long distances.
The History of Cryptography
Title | The History of Cryptography PDF eBook |
Author | Susan Meyer |
Publisher | The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc |
Total Pages | 64 |
Release | 2016-12-15 |
Genre | Juvenile Nonfiction |
ISBN | 1508173052 |
The intriguing tale of cryptography stretches all the way back into ancient times and has been evolving ever since. From Julius Caesar to the modern cryptography of computers, readers will be enraptured by the stories and examples of how some of the greatest minds of history have figured out how to make and break codes. Engaging text includes samples of codes throughout the lively story of cryptography. Readers will quickly become absorbed by this fast-paced, code-cracking history chock-full of mystery and intrigue.
Quantum Computing and the Financial System: Spooky Action at a Distance?
Title | Quantum Computing and the Financial System: Spooky Action at a Distance? PDF eBook |
Author | International Monetary Fund |
Publisher | International Monetary Fund |
Total Pages | 33 |
Release | 2021-03-12 |
Genre | Business & Economics |
ISBN | 1513572725 |
The era of quantum computing is about to begin, with profound implications for the global economy and the financial system. Rapid development of quantum computing brings both benefits and risks. Quantum computers can revolutionize industries and fields that require significant computing power, including modeling financial markets, designing new effective medicines and vaccines, and empowering artificial intelligence, as well as creating a new and secure way of communication (quantum Internet). But they would also crack many of the current encryption algorithms and threaten financial stability by compromising the security of mobile banking, e-commerce, fintech, digital currencies, and Internet information exchange. While the work on quantum-safe encryption is still in progress, financial institutions should take steps now to prepare for the cryptographic transition, by assessing future and retroactive risks from quantum computers, taking an inventory of their cryptographic algorithms (especially public keys), and building cryptographic agility to improve the overall cybersecurity resilience.
The Code Book: The Secrets Behind Codebreaking
Title | The Code Book: The Secrets Behind Codebreaking PDF eBook |
Author | Simon Singh |
Publisher | Delacorte Press |
Total Pages | 272 |
Release | 2002-05-14 |
Genre | Young Adult Nonfiction |
ISBN | 0375890122 |
"As gripping as a good thriller." --The Washington Post Unpack the science of secrecy and discover the methods behind cryptography--the encoding and decoding of information--in this clear and easy-to-understand young adult adaptation of the national bestseller that's perfect for this age of WikiLeaks, the Sony hack, and other events that reveal the extent to which our technology is never quite as secure as we want to believe. Coders and codebreakers alike will be fascinated by history's most mesmerizing stories of intrigue and cunning--from Julius Caesar and his Caeser cipher to the Allies' use of the Enigma machine to decode German messages during World War II. Accessible, compelling, and timely, The Code Book is sure to make readers see the past--and the future--in a whole new way. "Singh's power of explaining complex ideas is as dazzling as ever." --The Guardian
The Craft of the Ancient Historian
Title | The Craft of the Ancient Historian PDF eBook |
Author | John William Eadie |
Publisher | |
Total Pages | 458 |
Release | 1985 |
Genre | Greece |
ISBN | 9780819147875 |
Cryptology
Title | Cryptology PDF eBook |
Author | Richard Klima |
Publisher | CRC Press |
Total Pages | 314 |
Release | 2018-12-07 |
Genre | Computers |
ISBN | 1351692534 |
Cryptology: Classical and Modern, Second Edition proficiently introduces readers to the fascinating field of cryptology. The book covers classical methods including substitution, transposition, Playfair, ADFGVX, Alberti, Vigene re, and Hill ciphers. It also includes coverage of the Enigma machine, Turing bombe, and Navajo code. Additionally, the book presents modern methods like RSA, ElGamal, and stream ciphers, as well as the Diffie-Hellman key exchange and Advanced Encryption Standard. When possible, the book details methods for breaking both classical and modern methods. The new edition expands upon the material from the first edition which was oriented for students in non-technical fields. At the same time, the second edition supplements this material with new content that serves students in more technical fields as well. Thus, the second edition can be fully utilized by both technical and non-technical students at all levels of study. The authors include a wealth of material for a one-semester cryptology course, and research exercises that can be used for supplemental projects. Hints and answers to selected exercises are found at the end of the book.
A Methodology for the Cryptanalysis of Classical Ciphers with Search Metaheuristics
Title | A Methodology for the Cryptanalysis of Classical Ciphers with Search Metaheuristics PDF eBook |
Author | George Lasry |
Publisher | kassel university press GmbH |
Total Pages | 249 |
Release | 2018 |
Genre | |
ISBN | 3737604584 |
Cryptography, the art and science of creating secret codes, and cryptanalysis, the art and science of breaking secret codes, underwent a similar and parallel course during history. Both fields evolved from manual encryption methods and manual codebreaking techniques, to cipher machines and codebreaking machines in the first half of the 20th century, and finally to computerbased encryption and cryptanalysis from the second half of the 20th century. However, despite the advent of modern computing technology, some of the more challenging classical cipher systems and machines have not yet been successfully cryptanalyzed. For others, cryptanalytic methods exist, but only for special and advantageous cases, such as when large amounts of ciphertext are available. Starting from the 1990s, local search metaheuristics such as hill climbing, genetic algorithms, and simulated annealing have been employed, and in some cases, successfully, for the cryptanalysis of several classical ciphers. In most cases, however, results were mixed, and the application of such methods rather limited in their scope and performance. In this work, a robust framework and methodology for the cryptanalysis of classical ciphers using local search metaheuristics, mainly hill climbing and simulated annealing, is described. In an extensive set of case studies conducted as part of this research, this new methodology has been validated and demonstrated as highly effective for the cryptanalysis of several challenging cipher systems and machines, which could not be effectively cryptanalyzed before, and with drastic improvements compared to previously published methods. This work also led to the decipherment of original encrypted messages from WWI, and to the solution, for the first time, of several public cryptographic challenges.