Practical Cryptography 1st Edition

by Niels Ferguson (Author), Bruce Schneier (Author)

19 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0471223573

ISBN-10: 0471223573

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Security is the number one concern for businesses worldwide. Thegold standard for attaining security is cryptography because itprovides the most reliable tools for storing or transmittingdigital information. Written by Niels Ferguson, lead cryptographerfor Counterpane, Bruce Schneier's security company, and BruceSchneier himself, this is the much anticipated follow-up book toSchneier's seminal encyclopedic reference, Applied Cryptography,Second Edition (0-471-11709-9), which has sold more than 150,000copies.
Niels Ferguson (Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a cryptographic engineerand consultant at Counterpane Internet Security. He has extensiveexperience in the creation and design of security algorithms,protocols, and multinational security infrastructures. Previously,Ferguson was a cryptographer for DigiCash and CWI. At CWI hedeveloped the first generation of off-line payment protocols. Hehas published numerous scientific papers.
Bruce Schneier (Minneapolis, MN) is Founder and Chief TechnicalOfficer at Counterpane Internet Security, a managed-securitymonitoring company. He is also the author of Secrets and Lies:Digital Security in a Networked World (0-471-25311-1).

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Two of the world’s top experts in cryptography teach you howto secure your digital future

In today’s world, security is a top concern for businessesworldwide. Without a secure computer system, you don’t makemoney, you don’t expand, and–bottom line–youdon’t survive. Cryptography holds great promise as thetechnology to provide security in cyberspace. Amazingly enough, noliterature exists about how to implement cryptography and how toincorporate it into real-world systems. With PracticalCryptography, an author team of international renown provides youwith the first hands-on cryptographic product implementation guide,bridging the gap between cryptographic theory and real-worldcryptographic applications.

This follow-up guide to the bestselling Applied Cryptographydives in and explains the how-to of cryptography. You’ll finddiscussions on:

Practical rules for choosing and using cryptographicprimitives, from block ciphers to digital signatures
Implementing cryptographic algorithms and systems in a secureway on today’s computers
A consistent design philosophy to ensure that every part of thesystem achieves the required security level
Why security affects every part of the system, and why it hasto be a primary goal of the project
How simple interfaces for cryptographic primitives reducesystem complexity and increase system security

About the Author

NIELS FERGUSON is a cryptographic engineer and consultant. He hasextensive experience in the design and implementation ofcryptographic algorithms, protocols, and large-scale securityinfrastructures. Previously, Ferguson was a cryptographer forDigiCash and CWI, and he worked closely with Bruce Schneier atCounterpane Internet Security. He has published numerous scientificpapers.

BRUCE SCHNEIER is founder and chief technical officer atCounterpane Internet Security, a managed-security monitoringcompany. A world-renowned scientist, security expert, and lecturer,he is the author of Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in aNetworked World and Applied Cryptography (both from Wiley).

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 28, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0471223573
ISBN-13: 978-0471223573
Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 1 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 19 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #771,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #218 in Books > Computers & Technology > Security & Encryption > Cryptography
- #820 in Books > Textbooks > Computer Science > Networking
- #1249 in Books > Computers & Technology > Networking & Cloud Computing > Networks, Protocols & APIs

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David

If you write software this book will help you understand cryptography

January 14, 2007

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book really does explain the practical side of cryptography and writing cryptographic software.

The authors take the readers with them as they design a secure communication system using existing algorithms and standards. You look over the shoulders of two experts in the field as they make decisions (e.g. AES vs. Serpent vs. Twofish) and explain them (e.g. AES is the IBM of algorithms, Serpent is the most secure, and Twofish is fast like AES but without the vulnerabilities).

There is an entire chapter devoted to "Implementation Issues" which includes some of the best information on software design I have ever read. In addition to the cryptography related information, the authors point out some flaws in traditional software development methodology. In fact, this book should be required reading for every computer science student and every practicing software engineer.

If you have had trouble understanding cryptography and cryptographic algorithms in the past, this book will fill in the gaps. The book very well written, which is a rarity in the field of cryptography. If you are a crypto-phile, you can actually read this book for entertainment.

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UniqueTeresa

Great

February 7, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Saved me a lot of money on text books. Great resource

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alexander2410adams

Heady material in an easy to understand format

July 8, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have always been interested in Cryptography but have never been able to find a book that is great for beginners that covers all avenues of Cryptography. Practical Cryptography starts by explaining in easy to follow terms what Cryptography is and how it came to be a major corner stone in IT and corporate workplaces. It then moves to covering the different types of Cryptography and various implementations. The rest of the book deals directly with various concerns and strength and weaknesses in the field of cryptography. If your in the security field or interested in cryptography I highly recommend this book. It made a great addition to my collection of IT and security books.

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Amazon Customer

The ook for understanding more than an algorithm.

July 27, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great book! There is basic cryptography and there is all the things you need to get right to make that into something you can safely use. This book takes you through that.

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Ben Lane Hodson

Trust Schneier & Ferguson, they know their security

May 31, 2003

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

If you want an honest and extremely realistic analysis of security and encryption in general, this is the book for you. The authors are "dead-on" in their analysis of security as a process instead of just a system for cryptography. They especially "hit-the-mark" in their analysis of the sad state of affairs in Bio-Metrics and PKI (Public Key Infrastructure). This is not a balanced "middle-of-the-road" analysis. Instead, it is an opinionated view of security and cryptography solutions, implementations, and idealizations. The author's opinions are welcome and correct. They have the experience and they make more sense than most. (Not to mention that they take a very sensible approach the topics).

7 people found this helpful

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Eric Hopper

Concrete presentation of a difficult subject

December 10, 2003

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I've read a large number of cryptography books. Very few of them come down to brass tacks. They give you a description of a few algorithms, their strengths and weaknesses, and leave it at that. Either that, or they describe in lovingly complex detail the implementation of a particular protocol, one usually so fraught with options and details that you wonder how, at the end of it, that anybody writes a conforming implementation.

Practical Cryptography does neither of these things. It presents algorithm classes, why they exist, and what the best known algorithms are in each class. It explains how the various strengths and weaknesses of algorithms in each class combine to make a cryptosystem weaker or stronger. Then it goes on to show you how to use that information to build working cryptosystems.

This book is NOT a careful discussion of the implementation details or plusses and minuses of particular algorithms. They give detailed implementation instructions and advice for some algorithms (such as RSA or Diffie-Hellman) that tend to end up being misunderstood or implemented poorly, but the main focus of the book is about putting all the information together to build a real system. This is something that I feel is sorely lacking in the field of cryptography as it stands in 2005 (when I last updated this review).

The book does have a flaw. The authors present several algorithms and techniques that they recently invented and are not 'tried-and-true'. They present good arguments as to why they're secure. But the only real test of such things is lots of peer review and real-world testing. And, since they're new, they haven't been tested in that way.

People have complained about the book's seeming schizophrenia. On one hand, the authors are trying to show you how to build a secure cryptosystem. On the other, they're telling you how hopeless a task it is to build one that has no vulnerabilities, even if you're an expert in such things.

This can be annoying, but I more find it refreshing. Writing a secure cryptosystem is very hard. People should be aware that it is hard, and they are likely to make mistakes. It isn't something that should be attempted lightly. The current state of computer security is depressingly abysmal. People should be encouraged, as much as possible, to not contribute to the problem.

I'm not following my own advice, and I am building a new cryptosystem. I have found this book a more valuable resource than any other book on cryptography that I have yet read. Even if you aren't building your own cryptosystem, I think you will find the insights this book has into complexity and design to be useful tools in evaluating other cryptosystems.

52 people found this helpful

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Brad C.

Cryptography Explained for the Practical Implementation

January 9, 2008

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Guru Bruce Schneier teams with fellow guru Niels Ferguson to explain the practical implementaion of cryptography.

In his first book, Applied Cryptography, Schneier dissected how cryptography worked. But there was a lot of hand-waving, such as "Alice implements a secure RNG" which worked for theoretical knowledge of cryptography, but weren't of much use to a programmer who needs to design something. Practical Cryptography is the "in depth" sequel to Applied Cryptography, and explains in detail a lot of the nuts and bolts of actually implementing good cryptography.

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Dmitry

Five Stars

November 4, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Good stuff!

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