During World War II, the Allies faced a serious problem. They were able to intercept all Nazi correspondence, but the meaning of those coded messages remained a mystery. However, once the British cryptographers succeeded in cracking the code called Enigma, the Allied forces got to know of almost every plan the enemy hatched well in advance. So it was a matter of time before Hitler was defeated.

The word cryptography is derived from the Greek word “kryptos” meaning “hidden”. The aim is not to hide something that is written but rather, the meaning of the message so that it is seen or deciphered only by the person for whom it is intended. This process is called encryption.

Today, the world of encryption is no longer limited to secret communications during war or between spies and diplomats. Cryptography has now become part and parcel of our daily lives. For example, every time somebody connects to a bank website for web banking, the browser is programmed in such a manner that any information entered (username, password) is encrypted and sent to the bank’s site — so that no one else can intercept and read it.

“Cryptography is a challenging science. It is a mixture of maths, engineering and statistics. People who choose this as their subject of study and research are enthusiasts who want to do research, innovate and design systems that are more secure than others,” says Palash Sarkar, professor, Cryptology Research Group, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Calcutta.

This branch of mathematics and computer science draws upon contemporary research in mathematics, electrical and communication engineering and computer science. “So these areas require somebody who has mental agility, is interested in solving puzzles and can follow the rigour,” says R. Vaidhyanathan of US-based Arcot Systems which offers software solutions in authentication and digital signing.

A person with a cryptographic background can become a researcher — serious cryptographers prefer that — or can be employed as a developer of software systems, embedded systems, communication security devices or be involved in network security analysis.

Vaidhyanathan emphasises that cryptographers form a critical component in today’s security networks. “We have a combination of cryptographic specialists who develop or adapt crypto libraries and engineers who use the crypto libraries,” he says. Arcot has an office in India where it recruits experienced and young cryptographers directly through campus interviews.

“Sectors dealing with information security such as banking, government, defence, critical infrastructure and privacy protection in medicine also employ cryptographers,” points out Prof. C.E. Veni Madhavan of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, adding, “cryptography is also making waves in the commercial products sector”.

Some other fields where cryptography finds application include smart cards, cell phones, aviation, broadcast TV (pay channels) and digital rights protection. “The demand for cryptographers is fairly large in the government sector and the job is lucrative. As for the private sector, multinationals such as Microsoft which have set up shop in India are always on the lookout for cryptographers,” says Prof. Bimal Roy of ISI, Calcutta.

Some institutes that offer courses in India include Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta; IITs (Kanpur, Madras); Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Institute for Development and Research in Banking, Hyderabad; Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), Bangalore; and Annamalai University’s K.B. Chandrasekhar Centre, Chennai.

“Cryptography is a specialised field like astronomy where we need researchers who can improvise and challenge established techniques. Therein lies the challenge,” says Sarkar.

Sushmita Ruj and Somitra Kumar Sanadhya, research students at ISI, Calcutta, agree. “It is like a game of chess, we know there is a solution for every move, and everything that has been done so far can be improved upon,” says Ruj who is currently researching secure message exchanges between sensor devices. Sanadhya adds, “Till a few years ago, government jobs were the only option, but now with the industry investing in cryptography research, we have more options.”

Some of the government organisations that employ cryptographers include the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Indian Space Research Organisation, the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology and various intelligence and defence establishments.

Most government jobs at the scientist-grade and above are offered to those with a doctorate while fresh engineering graduates with an interest in cryptography can apply to organisations like Microsoft, Arcot and RSA security which deal with solutions related to cryptography. Most of the courses pertaining to cryptography are offered at the MTech level while serious researchers go on to a doctorate.

Time then to get cracking.