Overview

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Discover how cryptographic systems work by implementing and analyzing them with Python through practical case studies. This course introduces both classical and modern cryptography, helping you build a strong foundation in encryption techniques while exploring how secure communication systems are designed and evaluated. You will begin with core cryptography concepts and simple ciphers such as reverse and Caesar ciphers before progressing to brute force attacks, transposition, multiplicative, affine, substitution, Vernam, and Vigenère ciphers. As you advance, you will implement encryption and decryption programs, analyze cipher vulnerabilities, and evaluate cryptographic strength using Python. The course concludes with modern cryptography topics, including encoding, hashing, cryptographic libraries, and RSA public-key cryptography, where you will construct and validate RSA key pairs using modular arithmetic. Designed for learners interested in Python programming and cryptography, this course emphasizes hands-on implementation and analysis through real-world case studies. By the end of the course, you will be able to build encryption and decryption tools, compare classical and modern cryptographic techniques, analyze cryptographic weaknesses, and implement secure communication methods using Python.

Syllabus

Foundations of Cryptography with Python

This module introduces the fundamental concepts of cryptography and explains the importance of using Python as a tool to implement and explore basic cipher techniques. Learners will gain an understanding of how cryptography works and begin experimenting with simple encryption schemes.

Brute Force and Transposition Ciphers

This module explores brute force attacks and introduces transposition ciphers. Learners will understand the mechanisms behind these techniques, implement encryption and decryption programs, and analyze cipher weaknesses through automated English detection.

Classical and Affine Ciphers

This module delves into classical encryption methods including the multiplicative and affine ciphers. Learners will build modular arithmetic utilities, encrypt and decrypt messages, and evaluate cryptographic strength based on key structure and inverses.

Substitution, Vernam & Vigenère Ciphers

This module focuses on more complex symmetric encryption techniques such as substitution, Vernam (one-time pad), and Vigenère ciphers. Learners will implement and test these ciphers, and understand their cryptographic strength and vulnerabilities.

Modern Cryptography & RSA Implementation

This module transitions to modern cryptographic techniques including Base64 encoding, hashing algorithms, and public-key cryptography using RSA. Learners will implement secure communication protocols, work with key generation, and understand the mathematics behind prime factorization and encryption algorithms.