APPLIED INTRODUCTION TO CRYPTOGRAPHY AND CYBERSECURITY

This book is a comprehensive introduction to applied cryptography and cybersecurity, covering both the critical theoretical foundations and the practical aspects, including labs. It does not require prior knowledge in mathematics, cryptography or theory of computer science. The topics covered include shared and public key cryptosystems, authentication schemes and protocols, integrity (hashing, Merkle trees/accumulators and blockchains), signatures and key exchange, resiliency to corruptions, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols, public key infrastructure (PKI), including certificate transparency (CT), human-centered security and cryptography, and (post)quantum cryptography.

This text is a useful reference for self-study or as a course textbook.

Contents:

• Introducing Cybersecurity and Cryptography
• Confidentiality: Cryptosystems and Pseudorandomness
• Integrity and Hashing
• Symmetric-Key Message Authentication
• Shared-Key Protocols
• Public Key Cryptography
• The Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
• Human-Centered Security and Cryptography
• Conclusions and Quantum Computing
• Appendix A: Background

Readership: Undergraduate and graduate students reading courses on cryptography and cyber security.