Cryptography Demystified
by John Hershey
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Book Summary Information
Author: John HersheyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-08-23
ISBN: 0071406387
Number of pages: 356
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional
Book Reviews of Cryptography Demystified
Book Review: A beginner-low advanced level book
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was used in a course I took taught by the author, Dr. John Hershey. I have read and own several books in this category, am working to obtain two advanced degrees in the field of computer security, and feel that I have enough information to write an objective review. It is an excellent introduction book to the general area of cryptography, but suffers from several shortcomings.
If you do not know much about what cryptography and encryption are, this book should provide a decent introduction. The book provides the mathematical concepts needed to understand the chapters, but I felt it did not cover enough detail or provide enough examples to let me feel I had a solid understanding of everything.
There are three aspects to cryptography: authentication, integrity, and verification. This book only discusses integrity issues, i.e. encryption. DES, RSA, and Diffie-Hellman are discussed, but a detailed covering of AES is noticibly absent. It covers integrity rather well, breaking down the different methods of using block encryption into separate chapters. In other words, DES operation in electronic codebook, output feedback, and cipher feedback modes are three different chapters. This is something that isn't usually done and is a rather nice touch. It makes it much easier to learn the advantages and disadvantages for each mode of operation.
In terms of total mathematical theory, Hershey's book does not contain much theory. If you want theory, I recommend you find William Stallings book titled "Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice." Also, Hershey's book does not contain code to let you start programming a security system. If you want applications, I recommend you find Bruce Schneier's book titled "Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C." Those books are for advanced readers, however, and may be difficult to understand if you don't know the area.
Overall, it is a good read. I recommend it more for IT people than computer scientists or engineers simply because it touches upon the topic, instead of being very detailed. Look at the editorial review section criteria for who should read the book, it is right for the most part.
Summary of Cryptography Demystified
This work offers an unconventional, fun way to master the basics of cryptography. Cryptography is not just for specialists. Now every wireless message, wireless phone call, online transaction, and email is encrypted at one end and decrypted at the other. "Crypto" is part of the job description for network designers, network engineers, and telecom developers. If you need cryptography basics - but dread the thick tomes that are your only other option - help is at hand."Cryptography Demystified" puts the fundamentals into a 35-module, learn-by-doing package that's actually fun to use. You must read this book if: you prefer your simplifications from an expert who understands the complexities; 6 years of success as a short course for students and professionals works for you; you enjoy hearing the phrase "nothing to memorize"; ecommerce, email, network security, or wireless communications is part of your bailiwick; cracking cryptography means a jump up the career ladder; the words "public-key cryptography," "channel-based cryptography," and "prime numbers" pique your interest; and, best-practices cryptography is the only secure way for you - and your company - to go. One of the most complex subjects in Information Technology, cryptography gets its due in this down-to-earth, self-teaching tutorial - the first to make the basics of the science truly accessible.Network Security Books
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