alt Hacker NewsCan anyone recommend any good content to learn cryptography? Like, even if I read the algorithm for AES I have zero understanding about why it works this way
I've finished the Cryptography I on Coursera already. Can't recommend it enough
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Back in the day, I read Applied Cryptography (by Schneier) and clarity rained upon many things.
I would highly recommend the free book Crypto 101.
I've been through Introduction to Modern Cryptography by Katz and Lindell. Can recommend, as it starts with Caesars cipher, one time pads, and builds towards modern cryptography.
I looked at the recommendations under your comment, but I don't think I'm capable of these either lol
Any recommendations for a technically competent person, but for someone with math knowledge trailing off at Calc 2?
1) Understanding Cryptography by Christof Paar et al. I learnt cryptography from the 1st edition. Its very practical and highly recommended - https://www.cryptography-textbook.com/
2) Cryptography: Theory and Practice by Douglas Stinson et al. This is a more mathematical treatment and hence a nice complement to the Paar book above - https://www.routledge.com/Cryptography-Theory-and-Practice/S...
3) For understanding how cryptography is used in Networks see the classic Network Security: Private Communication in a Public World by Radia Perlman et al. The 2nd edition is where i started my journey into network security/cryptography needed for my then job. Highly recommended - https://www.amazon.com/Network-Security-Charlie-Kaufman/dp/0...
The first two books give you the "mechanisms" (and theory) of cryptography i.e. the building blocks. The last book puts everything together to implement "policies" via practical applications (eg. IPSec/SSL etc.) for the real world. They are complementary and hence should be studied together to get the full picture.
https://cs.ru.nl/~joan/papers/JDA_VRI_Rijndael_2002.pdf
A large part of this book is aimed at the readers who want to know why we designed Rijndael in the way we did. For them, we explain the ideas and principles underlying the design of Rijndael, culminating in our wide trail design strategy.
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"Cryptography Made Simple" By Nigel Smart and "A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography" by Dan Boneh and Victor Shoup are excellent resources for people that have affinity with Math and CS. The second resource can be a tough read, and I would strongly recommend not skipping the first few chapters.