Course

Introduction to Cryptanalysis

This course introduces you to the field of cryptanalysis.
37 minutes 8 videos
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Course description

Cryptographic algorithms, if used correctly, can render data impervious to attack. However, it is common for them to be used incorrectly. This course describes some of the obfuscation methods commonly used instead of strong cryptography and how to identify and break them to read the original data.

Syllabus

Breaking Misused Stream Ciphers

Video - 00:04:00
This video describes how to break misused stream ciphers.
Breaking Weak XOR Encryption

Video - 00:04:00
This video describes how to identify and break improper use of XOR ciphers.
Breaking ROT Ciphers

Video - 00:04:00
This video describes how to identify and break rotational ciphers.
Encryption vs Encoding

Video - 00:08:00
This video discusses the difference between encryption and encoding algorithms.
Character Frequency Analysis

Video - 00:05:00
This video describes character frequency analysis and its use for breaking substitution ciphers.
Entropy Calculations

Video - 00:03:00
This video describes entropy calculations and their use for analyzing ciphertexts.
Introduction to Cryptanalysis

Video - 00:08:00
This video lays the groundwork for performing cryptanalysis for cybersecurity.
Course Introduction

Video - 00:01:00
This video introduces the Introduction to Cryptanalysis course.

Meet the author

Howard Poston is a copywriter, author, and course developer with experience in cybersecurity and blockchain security, cryptography, and malware analysis. He has an MS in Cyber Operations, a decade of experience in cybersecurity, and over five years of experience as a freelance consultant providing training and content creation for cyber and blockchain security. He is also the creator of over a dozen cybersecurity courses, has authored two books, and has spoken at numerous cybersecurity conferences. He can be reached by email at howard@howardposton.com or via his website at https://www.howardposton.com.

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