The computer
The author uses 'computer' to signify the introduction of the modern era in cryptography and coding of information using the binary bit sequences. Unlike in the conventional cryptography techniques, the computer era is a game-changer because it makes ciphers more complex. The author writes "The development of computers and electronics in after WWII made possible much more complex ciphers. Furthermore, computers allowed for the encryption of any kind of data representable in any binary format, unlike classical ciphers which only encrypted written language texts; this was new and significant." Consequently, the computer is a symbol of an enhanced revolution in the cryptography of information.
Cryptography as a symbol
Throughout the text, the author uses cryptography figuratively to represent secrecy and confidentiality. Perhaps, this explains why most countries in the world today prohibit the use of cryptography because it is assumed to be dangerous to the security of the country. The author writes, "In some countries, even the domestic use of cryptography is, or has been restricted." Therefore, it is only the law enforcement agencies and state security that are permitted to use cryptography. However, the private firms that need to use a similar service are required to get permission and authorization from the government agencies.
World War II
World War II is emblematically used by the author in the text to signify the introduction of coded information. Most armies wanted to communicate in a way that their enemies could not interpret to gain a competitive advantage over them. In the classical era when the level of literacy was low, World War II strategists used handwritten coded language to communicate and it could only be encoded by those who had been taught how to do so. During the computer era, the binary sequence was introduced to make communicated information more complex. The author writes, “By World War II, mechanical and electromechanical cipher machines were in wide use, although – where such machines were impractical – manual systems continued in use."
Claude Shannon as a symbol
The author depicts Shannon as the man who revolutionized the ancient cryptography into modern coding techniques during his tenure as a strategist in WWII. Shannon was a renowned mathematician and he incorporated his knowledge to revolutionize the coding of the information. The author writes, “The era of modern cryptography begins with Claude Shannon, arguably the father of mathematical cryptography, with the work he did during WWII on communication security."
One-Time Pads
One-Time pads are used symbolically in cryptography to represent perfect secrecy. Over recent years, the one-time pad has been verified to be hard to crack when used appropriately. The author says, “One-time pads are information-theoretically secure in the encrypted message because it provides no information about the original message to a cryptanalyst.”
