Understanding Cryptography

Abstract

Cryptography has crept into everything, from Web browsers and e-mail programs to cell phones, bank cards, cars and even into medical implants. In the near fu- ture we will see many new exciting applications for cryptography such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for anti-counterfeiting or car-to-car commu- nications (we’ve worked on securing both of these applications). This is quite a change from the past, where cryptography had been traditionally confined to very specific applications, especially government communications and banking systems. As a consequence of the pervasiveness of crypto algorithms, an increasing number of people must understand how they work and how they can be applied in prac- tice. This book addresses this issue by providing a comprehensive introduction to modern applied cryptography that is equally suited for students and practitioners in industry.