Introduction (Cryptography)

Cryptography deals with data security and integrity. Regardless of who is involved, all parties in a transaction must have confidence that certain objectives which are privacy, data integrity, identification, signature, authorization, validation, access control, witnessing, receipt, and confirmation associated with information security have been met. Achieving information security in an electronic society requires a vast array of technical and legal skills. With the information processing and telecommunications revolutions well underway, there is an increasing demand for techniques for keeping information secret, for determining that information has not been tampered with, and for determining the author of the information. There is, however, no guarantee that all of the information security objectives deemed necessary can be adequately met. The technical means is provided through cryptography.

Many new ideas have been invented in the last two decades, which have exciting applications in computer systems, telecommunications systems (Internet security, mobile communications), and payment systems. An important aspect is the efficient implementation in both software and hardware of cryptographic primitives and the security evaluation of components and systems including smart cards. Especially public-key cryptography which has emerged in the last 25 years, is not only the subject of an enormous amount of research, but provides the foundation for information security in many applications. Public-key algorithms and protocols are based on sophisticated mathematics such as computational and algorithmic algebraic geometry, coding theory, and generic algorithms for finite abelian groups. These cryptographic techniques are now in widespread use in industry, especially in financial services industry and by individuals for their personal privacy in communication.