A Cryptography Playground for Education
Advisor Information
Abhishek Parakh
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-3-2016 2:30 PM
End Date
4-3-2016 4:00 PM
Abstract
There has always been a concern with sending reliable secure information. Cryptographic ciphers for years have ensured users privacy by using complex procedures to scramble information. In recent years cryptography has been given a lot of attention due to a greaten concern about who is viewing user information. Knowledge on cryptography is essential for information assurance students and professionals. To fully understand the scope of cryptography, it is important to understand its evolution. Cryptographic algorithms can be very simplistic, as in the case of the ATBash cipher, or they can be very complex, as in the case of RSA. This range of complexity makes it hard for students or professionals to be able to learn complex ciphers without building on the knowledge of others. Each cipher has its own special characteristics with advantages and disadvantages that students should be aware of. The website developed hopes to bridge this gap. There are some websites that have applications to solve cryptographic ciphers. These websites, however, lack the educational and cryptanalysis aspects to be able to give the users insight into how the cipher works. There are also websites that offer educational information without applications for users to test their findings. The website developed offers users the ability to test the ciphers themselves with visual output. The site also offers educational video lectures and worksheets to test the users’ knowledge. Incorporating education and application into a single site with many features will allow students to learn cryptography in a way that was never possible before.
A Cryptography Playground for Education
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
There has always been a concern with sending reliable secure information. Cryptographic ciphers for years have ensured users privacy by using complex procedures to scramble information. In recent years cryptography has been given a lot of attention due to a greaten concern about who is viewing user information. Knowledge on cryptography is essential for information assurance students and professionals. To fully understand the scope of cryptography, it is important to understand its evolution. Cryptographic algorithms can be very simplistic, as in the case of the ATBash cipher, or they can be very complex, as in the case of RSA. This range of complexity makes it hard for students or professionals to be able to learn complex ciphers without building on the knowledge of others. Each cipher has its own special characteristics with advantages and disadvantages that students should be aware of. The website developed hopes to bridge this gap. There are some websites that have applications to solve cryptographic ciphers. These websites, however, lack the educational and cryptanalysis aspects to be able to give the users insight into how the cipher works. There are also websites that offer educational information without applications for users to test their findings. The website developed offers users the ability to test the ciphers themselves with visual output. The site also offers educational video lectures and worksheets to test the users’ knowledge. Incorporating education and application into a single site with many features will allow students to learn cryptography in a way that was never possible before.