Learn how to program in Python while making and breaking
ciphers--algorithms used to create and send secret messages!
After a crash course in Python programming basics, you'll learn to make,
test, and hack programs that encrypt text with classical ciphers like
the transposition cipher and Vigenère cipher. You'll begin with simple
programs for the reverse and Caesar ciphers and then work your way up to
public key cryptography, the type of encryption used to secure today's
online transactions, including digital signatures, email, and Bitcoin.
Each program includes the full code and a line-by-line explanation of
how things work. By the end of the book, you'll have learned how to code
in Python and you'll have the clever programs to prove it!
You'll also learn how to:
- Combine loops, variables, and flow control statements into real
working programs
- Use dictionary files to instantly detect whether decrypted messages
are valid English or gibberish
- Create test programs to make sure that your code encrypts and decrypts
correctly
- Code (and hack!) a working example of the affine cipher, which uses
modular arithmetic to encrypt a message
- Break ciphers with techniques such as brute-force and frequency
analysis
There's no better way to learn to code than to play with real programs.
Cracking Codes with Python makes the learning fun!