From the Back Cover
Fundamental security concepts like cryptography and digital signatures are becoming as much a part of our everyday lives as megabytes and the Internet. Anyone working with computer security--security professionals, network administrators, IT managers, CEOs, and CIOs--need to have a comfortable understanding of the cryptographic concepts in this book.
Cryptography Decrypted shows you how to safeguard digital possessions. It is a clear, comprehensible, and practical guide to the essentials of computer cryptography, from Caesar's Cipher through modern-day public key. Cryptographic capabilities like detecting imposters and stopping eavesdropping are thoroughly illustrated with easy-to-understand analogies, visuals, and historical sidebars.
You need little or no background in cryptography to read Cryptography Decrypted. Nor does it require technical or mathematical expertise. But for those with some understanding of the subject, this book is comprehensive enough to solidify knowledge of computer cryptography and challenge those who wish to explore the high-level math appendix.
Divided into four parts, the book explains secret keys and secret key methods like DES, public and private keys, and public key methods like RSA; how keys are distributed through digital certificates; and three real-world systems. Numerous graphics illustrate and clarify common cryptographic terminology throughout.You will find coverage of such specific topics as:
- Secret key and secret key exchanges
- Public and private keys
- Digital signatures
- Digital certificates, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and PGP
- Hashes and message digests
- Secure e-mail, secure socket layer (SSL), and Internet Protocol Security (IPsec)
- Protecting keys
- Cryptographic attacks
- Authentication, confidentiality, integrity, and nonrepudiation
"Even after ten years working in the field of information protection for a major electronics manufacturing company, I learned a lot from this book. I think you will too."
--From the Foreword by John Kinyon
About the Author
H.X. Mel consults and develops computer systems for organizations such as Lucent, Xerox, MIT, the U.S. Government, Motorola, Goldman Sachs, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Doris Baker is a freelance technical writer and editor.