PKI White Papers
A Short History of Cryptography
Overview Cryptography is one of the oldest fields of technical study we can find records of, going back at least 4,000 years. It is quite noteworthy that of all the cryptosystems developed in those 4,000 years of effort, only 3 systems in widespread serious use remain hard enough to break to be of real value. One of them takes too much space for most practical uses, another is too slow for most practical uses, and the third is widely believed to contain serious weaknesses. Cryptology was (and still is to some extent) enshrouded in a vail of mystique to most people. It was because of this that the public began to acquaint cryptography with the black arts. It was often thought to be concerned with communication with dark spirits, and developed a bad image because of its mentors. Most early cryptographers were scientists, but the common people were often convinced that they were also followers of the devil.
| Publisher | Fred Cohen & Associates | File Format | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Published | January 1995 | Downloads | 5 |
| Format | White Papers | ||
| Topics | |||
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