ABSTRACT
The principal subject of the symposium on which this volume is in part based is the problem of achieving secure communication of digital messages over publicly exposed communications channels — by which is meant not only providing for the privacy or secrecy of the messages, but also of insuring their integrity against either forgery or alteration. As might be inferred from the title, both those papers presented at the symposium and those selected from the recent literature for inclusion in this volume treat various aspects of this problem (of secure digital communications) using asymmetric (read also “public key” or “two key”) cryptographic systems. In this introduction we shall first try to make clear the importance of the problem — both to the individual and to business — and then to introduce the reader to the unavoidable specialized technical vocabulary used in the field. Finally, a Baedeker to the collected papers will be provided in the hope that the collection will give a cohesive overview of the current state of the art in this important area of communications science.
