Using the Hill cipher to teach cryptographic principles

3Citations
Citations of this article
15Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

The Hill cipher is the simplest example of a block cipher, which takes a block of plaintext as input, and returns a block of ciphertext as output. Although it is insecure by modern standards, its simplicity means that it is well suited for the teaching of such concepts as encryption modes, and properties of cryptographic hash functions. Although these topics are central to modern cryptography, it is hard to find good simple examples of their use. The conceptual and computational simplicity of the Hill cipher means that students can experiment with these topics, see them in action, and obtain a better understanding that would be possible from a theoretical discussion alone. In this article, we define the Hill cipher and demonstrate its use with different modes of encryption, and also show how cryptographic hash functions can be both designed and broken. Finally, we look at some pedagogical considerations.

Author supplied keywords

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

McAndrew, A. (2008). Using the Hill cipher to teach cryptographic principles. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 39(7), 967–979. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207390802054508

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free