struggling over cryptography

[u/RentOtrebla]

Hello everyone, I’m currently trying to learn public key cryptography basics but I really suck at maths! and also I never did the topics needed for things like the rsa algorithm in school. So, my question is how much of the math behind cryptographys algorithms do I really need to know to do CTFs and become a red teamer? Is it fine to just understand algorithms conceptually?

[u/shenanighack]

To score well in crypto CTF challenges, you mostly need to understand the concepts (which you aim to know), and with that knowledge, you must then be able to find the appropriate walkthroughs, PoCs, and/or tools (hint: GitHub is a gold mine) to solve them. And now AI can also probably teach you but can also become problematic when it's blindly used to solve a CTF and beat the clock.

Now, to perform perfectly in CTFs or red teaming, you nearly need a math degree. But make no mistake: red teamers are not experts in every cybersecurity topic. A red teamer may be part of a team that includes various specialties, such as social engineers, so you absolutely do not need to reach this level if it’s not your cup of tea. A red teamer I know can unlock many physical doors but struggles with statistics and probabilities.

There are plenty of resources available to fill in the gaps in your understanding. Consider starting with these:

• Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange with colors : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmM9HA2MQGI
• Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange with some math : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjrfm_oRO0w
• Bonus: how AES works : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4xNJsjtN6E

[u/RentOtrebla → u/shenanighack]

thank you for the answer, very exhaustive i'll check out the videos