Mathematics for cryptography.

Question

Besides number theory, what other areas should I study for crypto. I did my undergrad in Comp Sci so the crypto course didnt have much mathematical topics. But for a grad specilisation in crypto I need to get acquainted with the required mathematical skills.

Any sort of help is appreciated.

Regards Rahul

Answer 1

Besides number theory, you should also know some abstract algebra. A lot of modern cryptography is based on for example elliptic curves.

You could also check out quantum cryptography. This would require that you know some quantum mechanics.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

See the book An Introduction to Mathematical Cryptography by Hoffstein, Pipher, and Silverman.

Answer 3

Don't forget to have a go at probability theory and information theory. These two (with a big emphasis on the first) pop up all around modern cryptography as most security proofs deal with showing that certain events are very very unlikely.