Reddit mentions of The Block Cipher Companion (Information Security and Cryptography)

Implementing SSL/TLS

https://www.amazon.com/Implementing-SSL-TLS-Joshua-Davies/dp/0470920416/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=openssl&qid=1550253200&s=gateway&sr=8-4

practical guide to implementing SSL and TLS. All examples are written in C with the implementation of DES, AES, RC4, Large Integer Arithmetic, RSA, Deffie-Hellman, HMAC, DSA, Elliptic Curve, X.509.

​

For me, the best theoretical books on cryptography, but without deep immersion in mathematics:

Understanding Cryptography: A Textbook for Students and Practitioners

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Cryptography-Textbook-Students-Practitioners/dp/3642041000/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=3700J8SGJK4QP&keywords=understanding+cryptography&qid=1550253725&s=gateway&sprefix=Undes%2Caps%2C295&sr=8-1

and it goes better with video lectures https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1usFRN4LCMcfIV7UjHNuQg

​

A good book on cryptanalysis for symmetric algorithms:

The Block Cipher Companion (Information Security and Cryptography)

https://www.amazon.com/Cipher-Companion-Information-Security-Cryptography/dp/3642173411/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=NNR5L5I1VYK2&keywords=block+cipher+companion&qid=1550253926&s=gateway&sprefix=The+Block+cipher+%2Caps%2C340&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

​

good exercise: http://cryptopals.com/

​

There are quite a few different types of cryptographic algorithms, some requiring more mathematics to get started than others. But it seems like you might be interested in block ciphers or stream ciphers.

/u/remyroy recommended rotation ciphers, which are probably the simplest and easiest to break.

The NSA has recently produced simple, but important, ciphers: Simon and Speck; release document and Bruce Schneier's comment. It will be difficult to break these ciphers, but at least this might lead you on a path to try to understand what it means to break a cipher.

If you want more information on block ciphers and how to break them, there's The Block Cipher Companion and I found this tutorial on differential and linear cryptanalysis which might provide a gentle introduction, but I haven't read it.

Anyway, have fun.