From Substitutions to Public Key: An Introduction to Cryptography

Daniel Hutmacher

Cryptography is everywhere. Most of what you do on the Internet and in the cloud is encrypted. If you’re working with data or cloud infrastructure, just checking the TLS checkbox is only half the job. You need to have a decent understanding of what goes on underneath the padlock icon in order to keep your company’s dirty secrets safe.

In this high-level introduction to cryptography, we’ll look at the origins and evolution of encryption, leading up to modern-day symmetric and asymmetric encryption, signatures and certificates. After the session, you’ll be able to use hand-wavy phrases like “certificate chain” and “public key infrastructure”, as if you know what they mean.

No PhD required.