Dr. Stav Elbar is a relatively recent doctorate in computer science (she completed her doctorate about three years ago) and works at Google, who decided to take her area of expertise in the advanced degree, decoding and codebreaking - and turn it into a children's book called "Secrets of Encryption for Children". The book was distributed as a project Crowdfunding, which quickly reached full funding (it can be purchased here), and on the occasion of its expected release (the book has already been written).
Where did you get the idea for the story?
"About two years ago I became a mother, and that's how I got a significant exposure to the world of children's books. I saw how, at such a young age, my daughter enjoys books and learns a lot from them. This lit a light in me - if books are a tool that has such a significant effect on her, I wish there were There is a book that will one day allow her to enter my world, the world of cryptography, and understand what I'm doing. From a short check I made, there are no children's books on the subject, in fact I realized that there are a variety of science books for children in the fields of biology, physics, medicine, but in the fields of computer science and technology, there are almost none. So I decided to pick up the gauntlet, I knew I had to find a way to make this complex subject accessible in a way that would be understandable, fun and experiential, and that's how the book was born," Elbar says.
What is your PhD actually about?
"In my doctorate, I studied the structure of ciphers that we use on a daily basis and developed general methods based on which attacks can be planned against a wide variety of ciphers. The main goal of the research was to identify weaknesses and fill gaps so that the future ciphers that will be designed will be better and more secure," she says, leading me In response: "I did create practical attacks on ciphers, some of which are today considered the best against them," she smiles.
And what is the book about?
"The first half of the book deals with a review and study of the ancient ciphers (which form the basis of the complex ciphers we use today), and even an explanation of why they are not secure and demonstrations of how they can be broken. The second half of the book deals with modern principles in encryption, those that serve us today (for example allowing for us to purchase online, enter websites with a password or just communicate securely).
It is true that the implementation of each of these principles is based on very heavy mathematics, but of course it is really not suitable for a book intended for children... after much effort and thought I was able to convey all these concepts without using mathematics at all! Of course, without giving up correctness and accuracy," the Doctor of Cryptography explains to us.
What do you expect children to get from the book?
"The book is intended for children aged 8-13. First and foremost, encryption is a kind of puzzle, and I think that in itself is very intriguing to children. Encryption is a fascinating subject with a rich history, and I want to make its magic accessible. In addition, today encryption is in everything technological! And so The book teaches the basic principles of encryption - how it works, why it is important, and how it affects our daily lives. But the most important thing for me is that they simply enjoy reading it," she concludes.