Introduction to Cryptography

Cryptography is a key technology in electronic key systems. It is used to keep data secret, digitally sign documents, access control, etc. Therefore, users should not only know how its techniques work, but they must also be able to estimate their efficiency and security. Based on courses taught at Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany, this book explains the basic methods of modern cryptography. It is written for readers with only basic mathematical knowledge that are interested in modern cryptographic algorithms and their mathematical foundation. Several exercises are included following each chapter.

Johannes A. Buchmann is a Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at the Technical University of Darmstadt, and the Associate Editor of the Journal of Cryptology. In 1985, he received the Feodor Lynen Fellowship of the Alexander vonHumboldt Foundation. Furthermore, he has received the most prestigious award in science in Germany, the Leibniz Award of the German Science Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG).

Cryptography is a key technology in electronic key systems. It is used to keep data secret, digitally sign documents, access control, etc. Therefore, users should not only know how its techniques work, but they must also be able to estimate their efficiency and security. For this new edition, the author has updated the discussion of the security of encryption and signature schemes and recent advances in factoring and computing discrete logarithms. He has also added descriptions of time-memory trade of attacks and algebraic attacks on block ciphers, the Advanced Encryption Standard, the Secure Hash Algorithm, secret sharing schemes, and undeniable and blind signatures.

Johannes A. Buchmann is a Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at the Technical University of Darmstadt, and the Associate Editor of the Journal of Cryptology. In 1985, he received the Feodor Lynen Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Furthermore, he has received the most prestigious award in science in Germany, the Leibniz Award of the German Science Foundation.

About the first edition:

It is amazing how much Buchmann is able to do in under 300 pages: self-contained explanations of the relevant mathematics (with proofs); a systematic introduction to symmetric cryptosystems, including a detailed description and discussion of DES; a good treatment of primality testing, integer factorization, and algorithms for discrete logarithms; clearly written sections describing most of the major types of cryptosystems....This book is an excellent reference, and I believe it would also be a good textbook for a course for mathematics or computer science majors..."

-Neal Koblitz, The American Mathematical Monthly