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The Role of Cryptography in the Connected World
In this introductory chapter, we try to provide some answers to the following questions:
Why are there so many insecure IT systems?
How can cryptography help to mitigate our security problems?
Our core argument is that the simultaneous growth of connectivity and complexity of IT systems has led to an explosion of the attack surface, and that modern cryptography plays an important role in reducing that attack surface.
After a brief discussion of how the field of cryptography evolved from an exotic field appreciated by a select few to an absolutely critical skill for the design and operation of nearly every modern IT product, we will look at some recent real-world security incidents and attacks in order to illustrate our claim. This will allow you to understand why cryptography matters from a higher strategic perspective.
