Abstract A study of Crytography, the science of mesage encryption. It discusses the history of cryptography and its development during World War II. It discusses the Enigma machine and carefully details its instructions for use. It also discusses cracking the Enigma and includes examples of this in history. This paper analyzes the Enigma and concludes that all codes will eventually be cracked by dedicated and bright Cryptanalysts no matter how complex the algorithm. Also, security is more than just having a brilliant machine. It was not the Enigma that failed in World War II, it was human error.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Background and Early Cipher Technology
The Enigma Machine
Receiving Instructions
Cracking the Enigma
Conclusion
From the Paper "Cryptography can thought of as the science of message encryption. The battle between Cryptographers (code makers) and Cryptanalysts (code breakers) has been waged since 3000 BC as each tries to outwit the other. Cryptography is essential in performing secure transactions, governing countries and commanding armies. The threat of messages being decrypted has been the motivation for cryptographers to develop new, more complex algorithms in hopes of temporarily staying one step ahead of the Cryptanalysts. Likewise, the motivation for breaking codes can be the difference between winning a war and losing it. As a result, the coder breakers and their computers rose to prominence during their battle in World War II versus the Enigma cipher machine."
Abstract This paper describes the background and history of the German Enigma cipher machine from World War II. It discusses some of the machine's operation principles and its aims. It then discusses how the Polish, French and British were able to break the codes the machine created and eventually use the machine's short-comings against it.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Background and History
Deciphering the Enigma
Conclusion
From the Paper "Because they were unaware of the extent of the British code breaking system, German officials made another fatal error in judgment that could have resulted in a much different outcome at the end of World War II. This is the use of the D reflector, of which the key was changed every ten days. This could have created a problem for code breakers, as the time factor would have made deciphered keys useless. Fortunately for the Allies, and unfortunately for the Germans, the D reflector proved too cumbersome to implement for all messages. Instead the B reflector was used by default, making the code breaker's task much easier."
Abstract Discusses differences between a code and a cipher. Requirements of each; how each works. History of encryption. Enigma machine of World War II. Pre-computer encrption. Development of computer program to encrypt data. Function of a "hash" (a number generated from text & smaller than the text itself). Privacy issues. Future of algorithms.
From the Paper "Encryption and Hash Algorithms
Introduction
Stephen Levy (2001), reporting on the latest "unbreakable code" begins his report by quoting Edgar Allan Poe. "It may roundly be asserted that human ingenuity cannot concoct a cipher which human ingenuity cannot resolve" (Levy, 2001, 45). This article was selected to lead off this discussion of encryption because of two elements of confusion.
First, the headline read "An Unbreakable Code"? and the article was about enciphering and deciphering, also called "encryption" and ?decryption.? This is a common, and often-repeated mistake, one which can confuse the very field of study. A "code" is not a "cipher" anymore than a "tennis ball" is a ?cabbage.?
Abstract The rapid advancement of technology, particularly in the telecommunication and computer sector, has brought a paradigm shift to our communication methodology. The Internet has revolutionized the world of communication, and today we are living in a global village without any geographical limitations. This paper shows that the change in business methodology indicated by the unprecedented growth of e-commerce is not without its problems. The loopholes in the new technology provide a fertile ground for miscreant elements. Hackers are on the increase, and the Net seems not all that safe and confidential. This paper discusses cryptography, which is the science of data encryption, a technology that provides for a safe, secure, and private information exchange. Cryptography has evolved from its primitive form, and today it is studied as a separate subject. Encryption has become an integral part of our security provisions, and it provides for safe transmissions through a path infested with hackers and snoopers and other kinds of offenders who use their technical expertise to intrude into and threaten the privacy and confidentiality of our vital data. The paper discusses the application of cryptography, with a brief overview of the basic mathematics and the different algorithms.
Paper Outline
Thesis
Introduction
Basic Encryption Methods
Transposition
Key Based Encryption
Symmetric Key Encryption
Public Key Encryption
Socket Security Layer
Encryption Standard
Crypto Algorithms
Stream Ciphers Frequency Analysis
Block Ciphers Electronic Code Book Mode
Cipher Block Chaining
Cipher Feedback
Output Feedback (OFB Mode)
Key length and Security
Basic Mathematics of Cryptography
Arriving at the Decryptor
Random Numbers and Key Security
The Need for Encryption
Attacks on Medical Records
Attacks on the Pentagon
Future of Encryption Technology
Quantum Cryptography
Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "Block ciphers operate on a block of plain text and encrypt them with a key of a particular length to yield a block of cipher text. For this purpose the given string is divided into blocks and encryption algorithm is applied to the individual blocks. The DES is currently one of the best-known block ciphers and also the standard followed by the American government for the past twenty years. Obviously problems arise when we try to use the same crypto key for identical blocks of plain text. This reveals clear pattern in the transmitted cryptogram making it easy for the hacker to decrypt the message. The essential property of a successful algorithm is the need to produce cryptograms without any obvious patterns that can be related to the individual blocks of the plain text."
Abstract This five-page paper is on "Using cryptography to secure data". It includes the description, the advantages, disadvantages and the examples of symmetric cryptography, asymmetric cryptography, block cipher and stream cipher.
Abstract Kids decoder rings in cereal boxes, the puzzles in the comic pages of the daily newspapers and high-tech encryption all have something in common, they are all variations of cryptography. The paper shows how, ever since the early days of civilization, people have been trying to encode massages to keep secrets from falling into the hands of the wrong person. Today the science and math of cryptography go way beyond switching letters around according to a certain pattern, but if a person remembers that the basic idea is the same, cryptography can be a fascinating endeavor into math, science, and even into language itself. This paper reviews the history of cryptography and the many things encryption has been used for in the past. It then looks at how encryption is used in modern times and for what purposes. The paper explains cryptography from a mathematical point of view, following the development of encryption and cryptography mathematically. Finally, it looks at the future of this science.
From the Paper "One of the most important developments came in the form of the Wheel Cipher. The Wheel Cipher was created by Thomas Jefferson, possibly with the help of Dr. Robert Patterson, a mathematician at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1913, Captain Parket Hitt reinvented the Wheel Cipher in strip form. This lead to the creation M-138 -A, used in World War II. Just a few years later in 1916, Major Joseph O. Mauborgne ut Hitt's strip cipher back into the wheel form, strengthened the alphabet construction, and produced the device that would lead to the M-94 cipher device. These devices, along with encryption courtesy of the Navajo people, helped the allies defeat Germany, Japan, and Italy in World War II."
Abstract This paper explains that the ancient "art" of keeping a secret, cryptography, has joined the age of technology, computerization, and intergalactic communication. The author points out that the government agencies entrusted with maintaining security in the United States have not followed a strictly open path in limiting public access to cryptographic methods. The paper relates that, with the Financial Anti-Terrorism Act, passed in October of 2001, restrictions on surveillance have been reduced, while penalties for low-level computer intrusion are greatly increased.
From the Paper "In the late 1970s, American cryptographers were busy working within the quickly evolving world of the Internet. "This academic revolution--the development of a public science of cryptography and a resulting colloquy about it--was accompanied by a similar, equally dramatic revolution on the microcomputer front. The result: Ordinary people with desk top PCs could encrypt their messages or data to a degree that only governments could have achieved not long before" (Godwin 45). Maintaining secrets had come to be seen as "collecting intelligence", a service provided by a number of government agencies in the United States. Military "intelligence" has also always had the extra burden of maintaining secrets in order to save lives. Probably every nation on earth gathers information concerning the political and military status of other nations."
Abstract This paper examines how quantum cryptography is a fast growing form of encryption that is not based upon the difficulty of mathematical algorithms and instead employs quantum physics to encrypt information on the physical level. It emphasizes the need for an innovative cipher as well as the need to inform the IT community regarding the commercial application of quantum cryptography. It also provides a broad overview of the quantum cryptographic protocol and operation using fiber optic media.
From the Paper "The integrity of information between sender and receiver relies upon secure channels and more importantly the ability to protect the information from unauthorized recipients. The transmission of information can be compromised when a third party listens in on the transmission media measuring the physical object. Consequently, the eavesdropper can effectively intercept the contents of a communication. Certain types of classical cryptography have proven vulnerable to the interception of data and the incident can remain undetected during the entire transmission. This idea of a man-in-the-middle attack on communication media using quantum cryptography is not possible due to the laws of quantum mechanics. Quantum superposition's and quantum entanglement are two properties of quantum physics used to detect eavesdropping. "
A case study using available evidence from the Zodiac killings to construct a profile of the killer and characterize him within the FBI and other models of multicide.
Abstract The Zodiac killings are one of the most publicized crimes in recent history. This paper suggests that the Zodiac may not be a "serial killer" according to the standard descriptions, but instead meets the description of a spree killer. Evidence from his letters and ciphers as well as from his victims is used to support the case. The paper begins with a description of the seven confirmed killings, followed by the profile of the killer using his level of intelligence, his collection of a trophy from the final killing, and his apparent level of social dysfunction to create a composite "psychological profile" of the killer.
Outline:
Introduction & History
Profile of the Zodiac
From the Paper "Profiling any serial murderer is a difficult task because, as one author writes, "the motives, gains, and etiology of serial murder differ from those of other forms of homicide (Holmes 2002)." The Zodiac killings are a good sample case to analyze in the context of the typologies of male serial killers offered by the text "Murder in America" because no existing profile based on the killer's own perspective exists. As such, the best way to describe the typology of the Zodiac is to examine the victims and evidence left behind."
