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Cryptography and the Web. Lincoln Stein Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research. Cryptography. The art of secret message writing. Creating texts that can only be read by authorized individuals only. Simple Cryptography. Ciphertext. the romans are coming today. Plaintext. Key.
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Cryptography and the Web Lincoln Stein Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research
Cryptography • The art of secret message writing. • Creating texts that can only be read by authorized individuals only.
Simple Cryptography Ciphertext the romans are coming today Plaintext Key
Caesar Cipher ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ NOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLM rotate 13 positions Plaintext THE GOTHS COMETH Key 13 Ciphertext FUR TAFUE PAYRFU
Rotating Key Cipher ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ BCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZA CDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAB DEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABC EFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD FGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDE GHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEF HIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCD... plaintext SOUND THE RETREAT key DEADFED ciphertext VSUPC XKG UEWWEX
General Principles • Longer keys make better ciphers • Random keys make better ciphers • Good ciphers produce “random” ciphertext • Best keys are used once and thrown away
8 Symmetric (Private Key) Cryptography • Examples: DES, RC4, RC5, IDEA, Skipjack • Advantages: fast, ciphertext secure • Disadvantages: must distribute key in advance, key must not be divulged
DES: Data Encryption Standard • Widely published & used - federal standard • Complex series of bit substitutions, permutations and recombinations • Basic DES: 56-bit keys • Crackable in about a day using specialized hardware • Triple DES: effective 112-bit key • Uncrackable by known techniques
8 8 Asymmetric (Public Key) Cryptography • Examples: RSA, Diffie-Hellman, ElGamal • Advantages: public key widely distributable, does digital signatures • Disadvantages: slow, key distribution
RSA • Algorithm patented by RSA Data Security • Uses special properties of modular arithmetic • C = Pe (mod n) • P = Cd (mod n) • e, d, and n all hundreds of digits long and derived from a pair of large prime numbers • Keys lengths from 512 to 1024 bits
Public Key Encryption: The Frills FrillTechnique Fast encryption/decryption Digital envelopes Authentication of sender Digital signature Verification of message integrity Message digests Safe distribution of public keys Certifying authorities
8 8 Digital Envelopes
8 Secure, Verifiable Transmission
Public Key Cryptography on the Web • Secure Socket Layer (SSL) • Netscape Communications Corporation • Secure HTTP (SHTTP) • Commerce Net
SSL and SHTTP, similarities • RSA public key cryptography • MD5 message digests • Variety of private key systems • Strong cryptography for use in U.S. • Weakened cryptography for export.
SSL and SHTTP, differences HTTP FTP SHTTP TELNET NNTP Application SSL Transport Internet Network interface Physical Layer
URLs • SSL Protocol • http://home.netscape.com/newsref/std/SSL.html • SHTTP Protocol • http://www.eit.com/projects/s-http/ • Verisign • http://www.verisign.com/ • RSA Data Security • http://www.rsa.com/