Robert Ciesla - Encryption for Organizations and Individuals: Basics of Contemporary and Quantum Cryptography

Any source code or other supplementary material referenced by the author in this book is available to readers on GitHub via the books product page, located at www.apress.com/978-1-4842-6055-5 . For more detailed information, please visit http://www.apress.com/source-code .

Cryptography may or may not sound like the sexiest of topics. However, it's essential to nearly everyone plugged into the planetwide community of the Internet. Whether you're working for Area 52 with a Top Secret clearance or shopping online for some swanky items, many elements of cryptography will be present. They not only take the form of virtually unbreakable databases but also (barely noticeable) digital certificates, passwords, PIN codes, and secured email.

As impressive as current-day cryptography is in its security and computational effectiveness, what's behind the corner is even more so. Quantum computing is well on its way. We can expect our world to be profoundly impacted by this paradigm on several levels.

Ultimately, encryption and secrecy are not new phenomena. They have been with us since the earliest days of recorded history, only in more primitive ways. The continuing need for concealing information tells us something about the world at large. I hope this book offers you an understanding of just how big of a deal cryptography actually is.

Encryption for Organizations and Individuals is for the curious layperson. Equations are therefore kept to a minimum. This book is roughly divided into two parts: first, we explore contemporary cryptography, and then we probe into its quantum sibling. I hope my book equips you with the tools you need to take on the quantum computing revolution with some confidence.