Group items tagged

A description of how the Copiale Cipher was cracked. 

This article describes efforts to create an "electronic wallet" to make sharing confidential information more secure and efficient.

An overview of Al-Qaeda's use of encryption technology in their terrorist activities. Relevant to the debate about distributing powerful cryptography to everyone, including those with bad intentions.

During one of our classes, we briefly discussed the use of cryptography to protect eyewitness and victim information during the investigation of human rights violations. The individual I mentioned that day was Patrick Ball, who now will lead a new organization focused on "the data-driven and scientific side of analyzing human rights violations around the world."

A brief history on Mary, Queen of Scots, and her secret plotting against Queen Elizabeth.

Cryptanalysis and Frequency Analysis

Very interesting article that begins with the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, and continues to speak about different techniques of encryption that are harder and harder to break. It also deals with the fact that Mary's messages were being intercepted and the article speaks about secure encryption using photons where you would know if your message was intercepted.

Summary: Cryptography specialists have developed tools to crack PPTP encryption (based on an algorithm from Microsoft), gaining access to Wi-Fi, passwords, corporate networks and data.

Instead of hiring "upper-class twits from Oxford and Cambridge," A government communications agency tried a new angle on recruiting hackers. They decided to combat hackers with other experienced hackers by posting an online puzzle and offering a job interview to those who solved it.

Not directly involving cryptography, but the implications of this definitely affect the field. Now that we have the capability to generate truly random number strings, our ability to encrypt data will improve.

In the war over encryption between the NSA and privacy activists, at first it seemed as though the activists had won - but now it's not so clear.

This was shared with the group! Did you do anything different this time? Your comment appeared twice, but that's fine.

I didn't do anything different! It must have appeared twice because I posted it twice.

Good link from Khan Academy that has good practice questions/explanation of the Vigenere cipher.

This article describes how, during the Cold War, the major distributor of cryptography machines (Crypto AG) worked with the NSA. This professional relationship provided the NSA with shortcuts on how to break ciphers created from the different machines. Also, Crypto AG was revealed as not having given the most up to date models to all countries, probably through deception. This raises the question of morality involving basic warfare. How is it moral for this supposedly trusted third party company to have special allegiances with the United States?Would the United States have the same opinion on this actions morality if they were the ones being sold out of date equipment? Or if one of their opponents had shortcuts?

The latest 99% Invisible podcast episode focuses on locks and lockpicking. I think you'll find some nice parallels with cryptography, especially around Kerckhoff's Principle and the idea of not knowing if your security system has been broken.

This 99% Invisible podcast episode focuses on locks and lockpicking. I think you'll find some nice parallels with cryptography, especially around Kerckhoff's Principle and the idea of not knowing if your security system has been broken.

The International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) is a non-profit scientific organization whose purpose is to further research in cryptology and related fields. Cryptology is the science and practice of designing computation and communication systems which are secure in the presence of adversaries.