I started to show interest in information security few months ago, the more I re
ID: 659825 • Letter: I
Question
I started to show interest in information security few months ago, the more I read the more I think it's all about mathematics not information techonolgy. I mean the whole thing is based on encryption and the latter is just a set of complicated mathematical equations.
To be more specific why do we see IT gurus in conventions talking about how they developed strong encryption .. etc when it only the work of math scientists? and when someone says that NSA can break X encryption it means they have a team of mathematicians who have came up with an equation that breaks the first one. What am I missing here?
Explanation / Answer
Absolutely not. Strong and good encryption is very important, and is probably a key requirement for good security, but there is so much more. Think of protocols. SSL, TLS, handshakes, how to exchange keys in a secure way. These are all examples of information security technology that is not encryption technique but uses it.
Think of file ownership and file rights on a server, which user can see or do what?! That has nothing to do with encryption, but is very much about security.
These are just two examples I can think of. There are probably many more...