Customer Reviews

Security Technologies for the World Wide Web, Second Edition

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I liked the detailed discussion of SSL & TLS, as well as the breadth of the coverage - a good discussion of all the payment and password systems that are used. You will probably need a little more help if you are actually going to build such a system yourself. But if you are going to buy or specify one, this will help you understand the issues.

Computers were supposed to lead to a paperless society, yet as they proliferate so do printed volumes of books about computers, probably wasting far more paper than they save. But Security Technologies for the World Wide Web is one work that is well worth the paper. A comprehensive primer on information security and privacy, the book covers the essentials, including hyptertext transfer protocol (http), public key infrastructure, electronic payment systems, and much more.

Though targeted to technically proficient readers, the clear, lucid prose is surprisingly free of deadening detail. The author also makes good use of screen shots.

Perhaps the most timely component here is a chapter that provides a good overview of Microsoft's popular .NET Passport initiative. This online authentication program, which allows single sign-on to multiple sites, boasts more than 200 million users. Privacy advocates, however, fear that the system will give Microsoft too much control over how personal user data is shared.

Although the book is relatively up to date--an increasingly difficult task as computer technology rockets forward--the occasional error appears. The only other drawback of this otherwise fine book is its relatively high ($89) price tag.