One of the first encryption methods that a kid will learn is the Caesar Cipher. Otherwise known as the shift cipher this technique is a simplistic as it gets. A shift denotes the offset. An example of this would be an offset of 3
Plain: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Cipher: DEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABC
This was so named for Julius Caesar who used this method to encode messages of military significance. Bruce Schneier wrote about the pinched “boss of bosses” of the Silician Mafia, Bernardo Provenzano, used this method to obfuscate his messages. Well, as smart as he thought he was this has proved a part of his downfall. Interesting read.
[tags]Bruce Schneier, Mafia, Encryption, Provenzano[/tags]