What this book covers
Chapter 1, Deep Diving into Cryptography Landscape, gives an introduction to cryptography, what it is needed for, and why it is so important in IT. This chapter also provides a panoramic view of the principal algorithms in the history of cryptography.
Chapter 2, Introduction to Symmetric Encryption, analyzes symmetric encryption. We will focus on algorithms such as DES, AES and Boolean Logic, which are widely used to implement cybersystems. Finally, we will showcase attacks to these algorithms.
Chapter 3, Asymmetric Encryption, analyzes the classical asymmetric encryption algorithms, such as RSA and Diffie–Hellman, and the main algorithms in private/public key encryption.
Chapter 4, Introducing Hash Functions and Digital Signatures, focuses on hash functions such as SHA-1 and looks at digital signatures, which are one of the pillars of modern cryptography. We will look at the most important and famous signatures and blind signatures (a particular case of anonymous signatures).
Chapter 5, Introduction to Zero-Knowledge Protocols, looks at zero-knowledge protocols, which are one of the new fundamental encryption protocols for the new economy of the blockchain. They are very useful for authenticating humans and machines without exposing any sensitive data in an unsafe channel of communication. New protocols, such as zk-SNARK, used in the blockchain are based on these algorithms. Finally, we will present Z/K13, a new protocol in zero knowledge, invented by the author.
Chapter 6, New Algorithms in Public/Private Key Cryptography, presents three algorithms invented by the author. MB09 is based on Fermat's Last Theorem. MB11 could be an alternative to RSA. Digital signatures related to these algorithms are also presented. Moreover we will present MBXX, a new protocol, invented by the author used for consensus.
Chapter 7, Elliptic Curves, looks at elliptic curves, which are the new frontier for decentralized finance. Satoshi Nakamoto adopted a particular kind of elliptic curve to implement the transmission of digital currency in Bitcoins called SECP256K1. Let's see how it works and what the main characteristics of this very robust encryption are.
Chapter 8, Quantum Cryptography, looks at how, with the advent of quantum computing, most of the algorithms we have explored until now will be under serious threat of brute-force attacks. One possible solution is Quantum Cryptography (Q-Cryptography). It is one of the most exhilarating and fantastic kinds of encryption that the human mind has invented. Q-Cryptography is only at the beginning but will be widely adopted in a short time.
Chapter 9, Crypto Search Engine, looks at the crypto search engine, which is an outstanding application of homomorphic encryption, invented by the author. It is a search engine able to search for a query inside encrypted content. We will see how it has been implemented, the story of this enterprise, and the possible applications of this disruptive engine for security and data privacy.