Applications of cryptography are plenty in everyday life. This guidebook is about the security analysis or 'cryptanalysis' of the basic building blocks on which these applications rely. Rather than covering a variety of techniques at an introductory level, this book provides a comprehensive and in-depth treatment of linear cryptanalysis. The subject is introduced from a mathematical point of view, providing an overview of the most influential papers on linear cryptanalysis and placing them in a consistent framework based on linear algebra. A large number of examples and exercises are included, drawing upon practice as well as theory. The book is accessible to students with no prior knowledge of cryptography. It covers linear cryptanalysis starting from the basics, including linear approximations and trails, correlation matrices, automatic search, key-recovery techniques, up to advanced topics, such as multiple and multidimensional linear cryptanalysis, zero-correlation approximations, and the geometric approach.
