ESP Biography

ow do you share a secret so that no-one can eavesdrop and find out what it is? How do you sign a message so that whoever receives it can be sure it came from you? The modern solution to these problems was discovered 30 years ago by three mathematicians from MIT and relies on an amazingly elegant yet difficult math problem that is 2000 years old. The result of their work is the RSA algorithm which forms the basis for digital security in today's world, ensuring your online passwords remain secret while also protecting you from "phishing" scams. We'll go through a brief history of cryptography to show the fundamental weaknesses of classical cryptographic systems. We then go through how the RSA algorithm works and how it is used for public key cryptography and digital signatures. A background in basic number theory (primes, modulo arithmetic) will be helpful but not essential.

How do you share a secret so that no-one can eavesdrop and find out what it is? How do you sign a message so that whoever receives it can be sure it came from you? The modern solution to these problems was discovered 30 years ago by three mathematicians from MIT and relies on an amazingly elegant yet difficult math problem that is 2000 years old. The result of their work is the RSA algorithm which forms the basis for digital security in today's world, ensuring your online passwords remain secret while also protecting you from "phishing" scams. We'll go through a brief history of cryptography to show the fundamental weaknesses of classical cryptographic systems. We then go through how the RSA algorithm works and how it is used for public key cryptography and digital signatures. A background in basic number theory (primes, modulo arithmetic) will be helpful but not essential.