Hour of Code: Simple Encryption
- Simple EncryptionThis lesson involves a brief history of encryption, interactive decryption exercises, and an explanation of how encryption is used to protect information on the internet.
Encryption in the News
- WhatsApp reportedly refused to build an encryption backdoor for the UK government - September 20, 2017Business Insider writes about the messaging app WhatsApp and its use of end-to-end encryption
- The three big questions Equifax hasn’t answered - September 12, 2017In the wake of the Equifax data breach, Craig Timberg of The Washington Post writes:
"[N]otably absent from the public statements by Equifax have been key terms such as “encryption” or “system monitoring” or “penetration testing.” " - A Hospital Paralyzed by Hackers - February 17, 2016An article from The Atlantic about a ransomware attack on Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. The attack involved a virus that encrypted the hospital's files, including patient information.
More about Encryption
- Encryption and Patron PrivacyThe American Library Association has several resources on protecting data through encryption
Cryptonomicon by Call Number: PS3569 .T3868 C79 1999ISBN: 0380973464Publication Date: 1999-05-01An award-winning work of speculative fiction, involving World War II-era codebreakers, modern cryptographic techniques, data havens, and conspiracies.
Applications of Abstract Algebra with Maple and MATLAB by Call Number: QA162 .K65 2007ISBN: 1584886102Publication Date: 2006-07-12For people with a background in computing or mathematics. The book has several chapters on cryptography. MATLAB is available on library computers.
Privacy on the Line by Call Number: UB256 .U6 D54 2007ISBN: 9780262042406Publication Date: 2007-03-30From the publisher:
"In Privacy on the Line, Whitfield Diffie and Susan Landau strip away the hype surrounding the policy debate over privacy to examine the national security, law enforcement, commercial, and civil liberties issues. They discuss the social function of privacy, how it underlies a democratic society, and what happens when it is lost. This updated and expanded edition revises their original—and prescient—discussions of both policy and technology in light of recent controversies over NSA spying and other government threats to communications privacy."
The Code Book by Call Number: Z103 .S56 2000ISBN: 0385495323Publication Date: 2000-08-29Covers historical events and figures involving cryptography, as well as mathematical principles. Nonfiction.
