Introduction to Cryptography: Principles and Applications (Information Security and Cryptography) [Hardcover]

Hans Delfs (Author), Helmut Knebl (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3540492437 | ISBN-13: 978-3540492436 | Publication Date: April 4, 2007 | Edition: 2nd

Due to the rapid growth of digital communication and electronic data exchange, information security has become a crucial issue in industry, business, and administration. Modern cryptography provides essential techniques for securing information and protecting data. In the first part, this book covers the key concepts of cryptography on an undergraduate level, from encryption and digital signatures to cryptographic protocols. Essential techniques are demonstrated in protocols for key exchange, user identification, electronic elections and digital cash. In the second part, more advanced topics are addressed, such as the bit security of one-way functions and computationally perfect pseudorandom bit generators. The security of cryptographic schemes is a central topic. Typical examples of provably secure encryption and signature schemes and their security proofs are given. Though particular attention is given to the mathematical foundations, no special background in mathematics is presumed. The necessary algebra, number theory and probability theory are included in the appendix. Each chapter closes with a collection of exercises. The second edition contains corrections, revisions and new material, including a complete description of the AES, an extended section on cryptographic hash functions, a new section on random oracle proofs, and a new section on public-key encryption schemes that are provably secure against adaptively-chosen-ciphertext attacks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"Introduction to Cryptography discusses basic and also some more advanced aspects of public-key cryptography. Two appendices provide necessary mathematical prerequisites. Appendix A covers necessary background in algebra and number theory, Appendix B in probability and information theory. The book provides a useful introduction to public-key cryptography with the exception of elliptic curve cryptography. It gives not only a standard informal description of the key structures, but presents also strict mathematical definitions and proofs of some cryptographic properties." (Lenka Fibikova, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 995 (20), 2002)

From the Back Cover

Due to the rapid growth of digital communication and electronic data exchange, information security has become a crucial issue in industry, business, and administration. Modern cryptography provides essential techniques for securing information and protecting data. In the first part, this book covers the key concepts of cryptography on an undergraduate level, from encryption and digital signatures to cryptographic protocols. Essential techniques are demonstrated in protocols for key exchange, user identification, electronic elections and digital cash. In the second part, more advanced topics are addressed, such as the bit security of one-way functions and computationally perfect pseudorandom bit generators. The security of cryptographic schemes is a central topic. Typical examples of provably secure encryption and signature schemes and their security proofs are given. Though particular attention is given to the mathematical foundations, no special background in mathematics is presumed. The necessary algebra, number theory and probability theory are included in the appendix. Each chapter closes with a collection of exercises. The second edition contains corrections, revisions and new material, including a complete description of the AES, an extended section on cryptographic hash functions, a new section on random oracle proofs, and a new section on public-key encryption schemes that are provably secure against adaptively-chosen-ciphertext attacks.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 2nd edition (April 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3540492437
• ISBN-13: 978-3540492436
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,294,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, August 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Introduction to Cryptography (Hardcover)

This is a very good book about cryptography. Due to the excellent selection of material,
it is well suited as an introduction to modern cryptography,
as a basis for courses or for self-education.
Numerous exercises help the reader to deepen his learning of the concepts.
Although the presentation is compact, the algorithms are described with the necessary mathematical
precision. Because the mathematical background is developed in full in the appendix,
only a moderate level of mathematical knowledge is required.

Methods of asymmetrical encryption and the generation of electronic signatures
(RSA, EIGamal, DAS and Rabin) are presented in detail. In the section on cryptographic protocols,
you can learn, e.g., how to establish a secret key over a public channel, such as the Internet.
Bit commitments, zero-knowledge, the sharing of secrets, blind signatures and the use of these
techniques in electronic elections or digital cash are described.

The second part of the book is an introduction to basic security questions in cryptographic systems.
What is security? Which assumptions are made? What can we determine from these assumptions?
Starting with Shannon's classic definition of security,
important security features of modern cryptographic schemes are explained.
The theory of one-way functions,
hard-core bits, cryptographically secure pseudorandom sequences, provably secure encryption
algorithms, hash functions and
provably secure digital signatures are developed with illustrative examples.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A decent introductory book, October 16, 2005

By 

Nomadic Bookworm (the Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to Cryptography (Hardcover)

The good thing about this book is the appendix which helps beginners along, and the clear organization.

The bad things however are:
(1) the imbalance between materials on symmetric-key and asymmetric-key cryptosystems;
(2) the omission of Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem.