Ever stuttered when someone asked you "So, what is cryptography, anyway?" We're allin infosec but explaining crypto easily and memorably to people without making it too complicated or insulting their intelligence is nontrivial. Keeping it simple is never stupid, and we all need more converts to understanding that crypto isn't magic, it's just a bit of math and trust.
I've explained crypto to project managers, congressional aides, third graders,CEOs, and 7-11 clerks. I've created several memorable analogies and visualaides to help people understand the simple beauty of crypto. You learned everything you need to understand crypto in grade school. After watching this talk, you'll be able to easily explain simple ciphers, transforms, what really happens in a key exchange, a few brief historical facts, and whycrypto is so important. And maybe I'll get to a few of those really dumb jokes we like telling at crypto parties. That one about 2xROT-13 hasn't gotten old yet. Unfortunately.