The fields of cryptography and computational number theory have recently witnessed a rapid development, which was the subject of the CCNT workshop in Singapore in November 1999. Its aim was to stimulate further research in information and computer security as well as the design and implementation of number theoretic cryptosystems and other related areas. Another achievement of the meeting was the collaboration of mathematicians, computer scientists, practical cryptographers and engineers in academia, industry and government. The present volume comprises a selection of refereed papers originating from this event, presenting either a survey of some area or original and new results. They concern many different aspects of the field such as theory, techniques, applications and practical experience. It provides a state-of-the-art report on some number theoretical issues of significance to cryptography.

This volume presents an exhaustive treatment of computation and algorithms for finite fields. Topics covered include polynomial factorization, finding irreducible and primitive polynomials, distribution of these primitive polynomials and of primitive points on elliptic curves, constructing bases of various types, and new applications of finite fields to other areas of mathematics. For completeness, also included are two special chapters on some recent advances and applications of the theory of congruences (optimal coefficients, congruential pseudo-random number generators, modular arithmetic etc.), and computational number theory (primality testing, factoring integers, computing in algebraic number theory, etc). The problems considered here have many applications in computer science, coding theory, cryptography, number theory and discrete mathematics. The level of discussion presupposes only a knowledge of the basic facts on finite fields, and the book can be recommended as supplementary graduate text. For researchers and students interested in computational and algorithmic problems in finite fields.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Applied Algebra, Algebraic Algorithms and Error-Correcting Codes, AAECC-14, held in Melbourne, Australia in November 2001.The 36 revised full papers presented together with four invited papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 61 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on block codes, code constructions, codes and algebra - rings and fields, codes and algebra - algebraic geometry codes, sequences, cryptography, algorithms, algorithms - decoding, and algebraic constructions.