An Introduction to Cryptography (Coursera)

In this course, you will explore the foundations of encryption, decryption, and cryptographic protocols. Through a combination of theoretical concepts, practical examples, and hands-on exercises, you will gain a solid understanding of the principles and applications of cryptography.
Join this fascinating course to explore the world of cryptography and learn how secrets have been kept in the past and the modern world.

What you'll learn

• Describe the fundamental concepts and principles of cryptography.
• Explore historical cyphers and their significance in the evolution of cryptography.
• Investigate modern cryptographic algorithms and protocols.

Syllabus

Welcome to Week 1
Module 1
Welcome to the first week of the course! We will start the week with an exploration of what cryptography is and what it is used for and then move on to look at some cryptographic techniques, via some ancient cryptography. Although these ancient cryptographic techniques are not very useful in modern life, they are good at demonstrating some of the concepts that are still used in modern day cryptography. Week 1 lays the foundation for Week 2, when we will turn our attention to modern cryptography.

Week 2: Modern cryptography
Module 2
Welcome to Week 2. In this week you will bring your knowledge about cryptography up to date in the modern day. This is where we start to look at more complex methods for more complex contemporary requirements. To start off, you will be introduced to a concept called 'public key cryptography' which is extensively used on the internet. You will then learn about hash functions and how some cryptographic techniques can be used to produce a digital signature.