Sec 4.5-4.8, due Sept 23rd

1.The most difficult part of the reading for me was section 4.5, about the different modes of operation. It was just a lot to take in at once, and there were so many different equations and diagrams that I felt a little lost.
2. I really liked the other sections though! I thought the section about breaking DES was very interesting, and it fascinates me how long it lasted, like 20 years! And how we didn't break it until just a few years ago. I think it's really cool to have something like that around for so long. I also thought it was neat how they had competitions, and gave out prizes, and in return it helped them make their system stronger. I also thought that it was a great idea to double encrypt something, until I found out that it doesn't significantly raise the level of security, that's a bummer! I also was reminded of Birthday Attacks! I'm sure they just as exciting as they sound, so I can't wait to hear about them someday soon! I also found it interesting to read and learn about the one-way functions, and all that stuff about passwords and salt for computers and everything! It was very interesting to learn about!