What’s So Interesting About The Prime Counting Function?

Mathematicians have obsessed over prime numbers for centuries, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Prime numbers are so enigmatic and fascinating that mathematicians just can't stop thinking about them! Prime counting function is probably one of the most famous problems in this domain. This function simply counts the number of prime numbers … Continue reading What’s So Interesting About The Prime Counting Function?

Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Part 4/4 – How Do We Use Elliptic Curves?

In the previous blog post, we discussed about elliptic curves and saw what they look like. We also looked at some of their special properties that enable it to be a good trapdoor function. But this is still very mathematical, right? The curves are great to look at and we understand general concept of elliptic curves, but … Continue reading Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Part 4/4 – How Do We Use Elliptic Curves?

Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Part 3/4 – What Is An Elliptic Curve?

In the previous blog post, we discussed why RSA will not be sufficient anymore. We looked at how machines are getting stronger, and that we cannot rely on factorization as our primary mathematical foundation. We also talked a bit about what we are looking for in our new system, and then said a quick hello to … Continue reading Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Part 3/4 – What Is An Elliptic Curve?

Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Part 2/4 – Why Do We Need It?

In our previous blog post, we discussed public key cryptography and how it works in general. The RSA is so powerful because it comes with rigorous mathematical proofs of security. The authors basically proved that breaking the system is equivalent to solving a very difficult mathematical problem. When we say "difficult", what it means is … Continue reading Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Part 2/4 – Why Do We Need It?

Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Part 1/4 – Why Should We Talk About It?

Elliptic curve cryptography is one of the most powerful techniques used in the field of modern cryptography. Just to be clear, elliptic curves have nothing to do with ellipses. I agree that the name can be slightly misleading, but once we discuss what elliptic curves are, it will become much clearer. So as you may have … Continue reading Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Part 1/4 – Why Should We Talk About It?

Dissecting The Riemann Zeta Function

The Riemann Zeta function is an extremely important function in mathematics and physics. It is intimately related to very deep results surrounding the prime numbers. Now why would we want to care about prime numbers? Well, the entire concept of web security is built around prime numbers. Most of the algorithms for banking security, cryptography, networking, … Continue reading Dissecting The Riemann Zeta Function