Cryptography: Code Making and Code Breaking

Today's news headlines are plentifully peppered by the latest hacks into some of the world's largest and most reputable companies. These malicious intrusions leave the personal, banking, and credit card information of millions of people vulnerable to the malevolent whims of the hackers. Meanwhile, inside the world of cryptography, the race is on to keep that information as safe and protected as possible as hackers uncover new ways to access it. Readers will be riveted by this race, the outcome of which affects us all.

The stories of some of the individuals who have shaped cryptography are engagingly told in this narrative. Readers consider Polybius and his cipher (the Polybius square), Julius Caesar and his secret military ciphers, diplomat Blaise de Vigenère and his polyalphabetic cipher, Antoine Rossignol, the "Black Chamber," and the Great Cipher he developed for Louis XIV, Anson Stager and Civil War cryptography, and cryptanalyst Agnes Meyer Driscoll, codenamed Madame X, who decrypted radio codes for the US government during both world wars. Elizebeth Friedman, Alan Turing, Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, and Ralph Merkle and their cryptographic methods are also examined.

As handy and useful as it is to communicate with smartphones, email, and texts, not to mention paying bills and doing banking online, all these conveniences mean that a great deal of our sensitive, personal information needs to be protected and kept secret. Readers can anticipate an intriguing overview of the ciphers, codes, algorithms, and keys used in real-life situations to keep peoples' information safe and secure. Examples of how to use some types of cryptography will challenge and intrigue.

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.

Hackers are those individuals who gain access to computers or networks without official permission. In this intriguing resource, readers learn the differences among white hat, black hat, and gray hat hackers and their ways of working concerning computer networks today. The origins and history of hacker culture are examined, as are the law enforcement methods of catching criminals. Some of the topics covered are the motives for hacking, black hat targets, online hazards, malware programs, and typical hacker techniques. Government-sponsored hacking in cyber warfare efforts, hacktivism, and famous hackers are also reviewed.

With constant headlines announcing the latest infiltration by hackers, it is more important than ever to be well informed on the topic. In this timely book, readers will learn about some of the approaches used by attackers, what they are looking for, and how the experts work to protect sensitive information. For example, specialists in law enforcement sometimes turn the tables on the criminals and track them down using the very same technology criminals used to commit the crime. Readers will be as informed as they are captivated by cryptography's internet-age version of a criminal and crime-fighting story.

Readers examine eight codes and ciphers that could not be cracked. The ancient Phaistos Disc, circa 1700 BCE, the Voynich Manuscript with its strange illustrations from the fifteenth century, the location of the buried treasure of 1819 as described in the Beale Papers, Edward Elgar's Dorabella Cipher of 1897, the Chaocipher of 1918, the D'Agapeyeff Challenge Cipher of 1939, the Zodiac Killer's 408 Cipher from the late 1960s, and the Kryptos Monument ciphers of 1990 are all undeciphered today. These riddles have eluded the best cryptographers, but, with time, new tools, and a little luck, the eight codes will someday be cracked.