There are a variety of online cipher tools that demonstrate different cryptographic

algorithms. Visit the website Cipher Tools (rumkin.com/tools/cipher/) and explore the

different tools. Select three tools, one of which is mentioned in this chapter (ROT13, One-

Time Pad, etc.). Experiment with the three different tools. Which is easy to use? Which is more

difficult? Which tool would you justify to be more secure than the others? Why? Write a onepage

paper on your analysis of the tools.

Case Project 4-4: HTTPS

Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is becoming increasingly popular as a security

protocol for web traffic. Some sites automatically use HTTPS for all transactions (like Google),

while others require that users must configure it in their settings. Some argue that HTTPS should

be used on all web traffic. What are the advantages of HTTPS? What are its disadvantages? How

is it different from HTTP? How must the server be set up for HTTPS transactions? How would

it protect you using a public Wi-Fi connection at a local coffee shop? Should all web traffic be

required to use HTTPS? Why or why not? Write a one-page paper of your research.