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This work offers a comprehensive introduction to cryptology, enriched by a solid foundation in elementary number theory and the essential numerical algorithms it relies on. It provides readers with the core knowledge needed to understand cryptographic schemes, assess their security, and explore methods of cryptanalysis.
About the author
Dimitrios Poulakis is Emeritus professor in Department of Mathematics of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). He received his B. Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Ioannina (Greece) and his M.Sc. and Ph.D degree in Mathematics from the University of Paris XI (Centre d'Orsay), France. His work consists of selected publications in Number Theory and Public-Key-Cryptography including 9 books in Number Theory, Cryptography, Geometry of Algebraic Curves, Algebraic Codes, Algebra (in Greek) and more than 60 papers in referred scientific journals (https://zbmath.org/authors/?q=poulakis). He was the supervisor of four PhD Thesis and of more than 40 Msc Thesis. He gave selected lectures at the Department of Mathematics of the Universities of Strasburg I, Marseille II, Toulon, Crete, Ioannina, Athens, at Jussieu Institute of Mathematics in Paris, at the Research Institute of Symbolic Computation in Linz University, at Research group ERISCS (University Aix-Marseille II), etc. He has also participated in 50 international conferences and workshops. He was a visiting professor at the Universities of Marseille II, Toulon and Paris VII. He has taught in the undergraduate programs of the Departments of Mathematics of the universities of Ioannina, Thessaloniki and in the postgraduate programs of the Department of Mathematics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hellenic Army Academy and the Hellenic Open University.
Summary
This text offers a comprehensive introduction to cryptology, based on elementary number theory and essential numerical algorithms. It covers core mathematical topics—number theory, algebraic structures, matrices, determinants, and polynomials—through their use in cryptography. Symmetric-key cryptography and practical techniques are introduced, followed by algorithms and computational complexity. Public-key systems based on integer factorization and discrete logarithms, as well as hash functions and digital signatures, are discussed. Advanced topics include elliptic curve and multivariate polynomial cryptography, primality testing, and integer factorization are also explored. The book is self-contained, with all necessary proofs, theory, and tools to analyze cryptographic security and attacks.
