Customer Reviews

Network Security with OpenSSL

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book starts with a general introduction of encryption in general, then SSL protocol in general. Then openssl command line interface is introduced with some easy to follow examples. Later openssl programming is explained in detail.

As the only free SSL programming library with source code available, openssl is notorious for its undocumented/underdocumented/misdocumented manuals. Starting a software project using openssl without prior experience is often a painful experience if you simply rely on the manuals coming with the source code. Given thousands of interfaces/data structures, it is an overwhelming job to understand openssl in depth. Your best bet is usually reading the sample source code that comes with package, but often it leaves lots of questions - what does this api do? Why use this one? Under what circumstances should I use this one? You may rely on openssl mailing list, but answer is not guaranteed and you have to do your own home work first.

So come this book finally. It explains (using many examples) most interfaces a typical openssl programmer would use in reality. It is a really easy to read from chapter to chapter since the authors apparently try to explain most api using a short and clear example.

I wish when the next version comes out, it can do:

1. fix typos. Yeah, it does contain some typos. Good proofreading is needed.

2. Include topics in openssl 0.9.7. Like CRL.

3. What's going on under hood. How openssl code is organized, how interface control of flow goes. This helps understand the openssl library and debugging as well.

If you have little or no experience with SSL, or OpenSSL, get this book. It explains the principles behind SSL, and then goes on to cover OpenSSL. The companion website opensslbook.com contains the latest examples.

The only drawbacks to the book are the way that the authors cover random number generators for windows, (totally excludes the MS crypto function cryptgenrand(), in favor of the Author's own entropy collection system), and the creation of certificates could have been covered a little better. I also kept having to consult the Openssl API documentation for clarification on certain things, but overall this is a great book.

OpenSSL is a terrific programming resource, but the online documentation on it
is hard to understand and index. This book brings most of it all together, and
provides enough examples to answer most of your questions.

One thing that it lacks is tie-ins with Java; most of its examples are in Perl
and Python. I'm currently trying to see if certain ideas can be implemented in Java.

A great book, and great read!

Contents: intro, openssl command line, PKI, then programming: support infrastructure, ssl, symmetric keys, hashes, public keys, and openSSL for Perl, Python, and PHP.

As others have noted, this is a great book for programming. It's not as detailed if you are looking to set up your own PKI. Basically it is about 30 pages of the openssl command (using symmetric keys, generating private keys, making certificates, signing them) and ~270 pages or so of programming.

If you're interested in doing real SSL -- buy this book. It is a one-stop-shop for everything you'll need to know about implementing OpenSSL. If you've tried to implement OpenSSL, and found yourself confused by the lack of documentation for such a powerful tool, your problem is solved. There's no other book that targets this tool quite like this. A book on OpenSSL is long overdue, finally one has arrived!

Although I haven't finished reading the book yet, my level of frustration with it warrants a review. I'll update the review if I change my mind. Setting aside the many typos (e.g. bottom of p. 86), the fact that the book is now 7-8 years out of date, and explanations of functions that are frequently less clear than the online documentation, my complaint has to do with the almost randomized organization of the material. The first chapter is an overview that focuses on jargon more than anything; in particular it doesn't provide a clear description of exactly what happens when an SSL connection is established (the single most important detail for understanding everything that follows). This renders the second chapter on the command line interface next to useless, since it's only somewhat clear what these commands are doing -- shouldn't this material come after almost everything else? The 3rd chapter shows how to generate public keys without explaining clearly how they're used, and the 4th chapter jumps right into multithreading support, abstract I/O, and random number generation. Where the authors just writing down whatever popped into their heads next? Where were the editors on this project?

It does contain some useful information, hence the 2 stars, but the authors' horrible writing style and inability to organize their thoughts really makes me want to give a 1-star review. Terrible book, although still better than the online documentation overall. And unfortunately, no one appears to have a written a better one (as of July 2009).

This is a great book on cryptography, OpenSSL utilities and its API. The copyright is 2002 and no second edition was ever done. As such some of the openssl command-line syntax is out-dated, but the concepts certainly are not. While I wish we could ping Viega, et al., to kick out another edition this book is a staple on my shelf, backpack or in the mess on my desk!

Everything I needed to know to write code supporting certificates, multi-threading and error reporting was explained in the first five chapters. Without this book to tie together disparate facts, I probably would still be scrounging through Google hits, forums and the OpenSSL source code. At least a week of research and experimentation (non-billable hours) were saved. Highly recommended.

This book was a valuable resource in implementing Secure Sockets, it would have been difficult to finish my product without it.

The best book on SSL and OpenSSL ....Period. Explains all important OpenSSL APIs and also has discussions on PKI apart from OpenSSL libraries in Perl and Python and how to use them.

Excellent use of language by the author which is very precise and very technical and hits the nail on the head at all times.!.