- Cryptography is the most effective way to achieve data security and is essential to e-commerce activities such as online shopping, stock trading, and banking
- This invaluable introduction to the basics of encryption covers everything from the terminology used in the field to specific technologies to the pros and cons of different implementations
- Discusses specific technologies that incorporate cryptography in their design, such as authentication methods, wireless encryption, e-commerce, and smart cards
- Based entirely on real-world issues and situations, the material provides instructions for already available technologies that readers can put to work immediately
- Expert author Chey Cobb is retired from the NRO, where she held a Top Secret security clearance, instructed employees of the CIA and NSA on computer security and helped develop the computer security policies used by all U.S. intelligence agencies
Chey Cobb became interested in computer security when personal computers began showing up in the workplace in the late 1980s. At that time, the biggest concern of employers was keeping employees from bringing infected floppy disks into the office. By the mid-nineties the cost of RAM chips soared and rivaled the price of gold. Still, it was difficult to convince people that computer theft and hacking would soon become common threats. As the implementation of computer networks began to increase, so did the number of threats and vulnerabilities. Chey became an expert in firewalls, anti-virus, and intrusion detection, and consulted with business owners on how to create a layered approach to computer and network security. She also implemented passive training programs for employees, primarily utilizing social engineering, to increase their awareness of potential vulnerabilities and how to respond to attacks.
Chey worked for the National Computer Security Association (NCSA), who created the first programs to certify anti-virus programs and firewalls. As businesses increasingly began connecting to the Internet (in the 1990s), Chey was one of the initially few who recognized that web servers introduced train-sized holes into a company's network. She correctly identified new areas of attack that exploited the inherent "openness" of a web server's architecture. Chey began writing about computer security for trade publications at this time and conducting seminars to increase awareness and to educate on effective security programs and policies.
While working in the private sector, Chey caught the eye of those in Washington, and she soon began working with government intelligence agencies. She created secure web platforms and applications and later went on to be in charge of security for one of the world's most sensitive and important networks. She also helped create cross-agency information security policies for the DoD and intelligence agencies and was instrumental in creating one of the first emergency response programs within a Top Secret agency.
After she left government work, she began writing and teaching more, with the intent to increase awareness of common threats and vulnerabilities, and advise people on effective network security without adversely affecting productivity. She taught briefly at Norwich University in their Masters Degree program for Information Assurance. Chey is currently retired and living on the West Coast and enjoys watching the Navy SEALs recruits running though their exercises on nearby beaches.
