Practical Cryptography 1st Edition by Niels Ferguson (PDF)

Description

Security is the number one concern for businesses worldwide. The gold standard for attaining security is cryptography because it provides the most reliable tools for storing or transmitting digital information. Written by Niels Ferguson, lead cryptographer for Counterpane, Bruce Schneier’s security company, and Bruce Schneier himself, this is the much anticipated follow-up book to Schneier’s seminal encyclopedic reference, Applied Cryptography, Second Edition (0-471-11709-9), which has sold more than 150,000 copies. Niels Ferguson (Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a cryptographic engineer and consultant at Counterpane Internet Security. He has extensive experience in the creation and design of security algorithms, protocols, and multinational security infrastructures. Previously, Ferguson was a cryptographer for DigiCash and CWI. At CWI he developed the first generation of off-line payment protocols. He has published numerous scientific papers. Bruce Schneier (Minneapolis, MN) is Founder and Chief Technical Officer at Counterpane Internet Security, a managed-security monitoring company. He is also the author of Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World (0-471-25311-1).

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From the Inside Flap Two of the world’s top experts in cryptography teach you how to secure your digital future In today’s world, security is a top concern for businesses worldwide. Without a secure computer system, you don’t make money, you don’t expand, and–bottom line–you don’t survive. Cryptography holds great promise as the technology to provide security in cyberspace. Amazingly enough, no literature exists about how to implement cryptography and how to incorporate it into real-world systems. With Practical Cryptography, an author team of international renown provides you with the first hands-on cryptographic product implementation guide, bridging the gap between cryptographic theory and real-world cryptographic applications.This follow-up guide to the bestselling Applied Cryptography dives in and explains the how-to of cryptography. You’ll find discussions on:Practical rules for choosing and using cryptographic primitives, from block ciphers to digital signaturesImplementing cryptographic algorithms and systems in a secure way on today’s computersA consistent design philosophy to ensure that every part of the system achieves the required security levelWhy security affects every part of the system, and why it has to be a primary goal of the projectHow simple interfaces for cryptographic primitives reduce system complexity and increase system security From the Back Cover Two of the world’s top experts in cryptography teach you how to secure your digital future In today’s world, security is a top concern for businesses worldwide. Without a secure computer system, you don’t make money, you don’t expand, and–bottom line–you don’t survive. Cryptography holds great promise as the technology to provide security in cyberspace. Amazingly enough, no literature exists about how to implement cryptography and how to incorporate it into real-world systems. With Practical Cryptography, an author team of international renown provides you with the first hands-on cryptographic product implementation guide, bridging the gap between cryptographic theory and real-world cryptographic applications.This follow-up guide to the bestselling Applied Cryptography dives in and explains the how-to of cryptography. You’ll find discussions on:Practical rules for choosing and using cryptographic primitives, from block ciphers to digital signaturesImplementing cryptographic algorithms and systems in a secure way on today’s computersA consistent design philosophy to ensure that every part of the system achieves the required security levelWhy security affects every part of the system, and why it has to be a primary goal of the projectHow simple interfaces for cryptographic primitives reduce system complexity and increase system security About the Author NIELS FERGUSON is a cryptographic engineer and consultant. He has extensive experience in the design and implementation of cryptographic algorithms, protocols, and large-scale security infrastructures. Previously, Ferguson was a cryptographer for DigiCash and CWI, and he worked closely with Bruce Schneier at Counterpane Internet Security. He has published numerous scientific papers. BRUCE SCHNEIER is founder and chief technical officer at Counterpane Internet Security, a managed-security monitoring company. A world-renowned scientist, security expert, and lecturer, he is the author of Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World and Applied Cryptography (both from Wiley). Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐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.

⭐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.

⭐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.

⭐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).

⭐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.

⭐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.

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

⭐Good stuff!

⭐I liked the book, the language and style are straight to the point and very clearly presented.Just be warned that on the AMAZON.CO.UK site the book is displayed as being published in 2014 – which would be very cool.Unfortunately it’s published 2003 and this is obviously a mistake. So don’t expect modern cryptographic primitives covered. Anyway it’s well worth the read!

⭐A successor, but not a replacement, for Schneier’s renowned Applied Cryptography. Instead of that book’s comprehensive approach, with descriptions of a multiplicity of techniques and algorithms, Practical Cryptography tends towards the opposite extreme, usually listing only one way to perform any task. Pseudocode is used to explain most algorithms. In some cases, readers are referred elsewhere for details (almost always available on the web). The authors go out of their way to keep the mathematics in explanations to a minimum: the maths is most apparent, as would be expected, in the section on public key cryptography. One or two implementation details, and the PRNG described, are previously unpublished (therefore less well tested?).In general, Ferguson and Schneier’s rather didactic approach works here, though occasionally I was left wishing for more detail. This book would most suit a programmer without much previous experience of cryptography, who needs to gain a working knowledge of cryptography without needing to wade through too much theory.

⭐I like it!If you are new to this field or just want to improve your knowledge then this is the book for you.Its simple and gets straight to the point without getting bogged down in all the maths.I would describe it as a engineers/developers guide to Crypt and not a mathematicians one and as such I deals much more with the practical implementations.I like the fact that the authors have opinions which lend a bit of context to what they are describing.Highly recommended.

⭐Excellent book. Goes over everything in detail clearly. Sometimes it’s frustrating that the book was published in 2002, as you know that there have been some developments later, but it’s not a big issue. I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into cryptography.

⭐The kindle version is a badly scanned copy and not standard ebook format

Keywords

Free Download Practical Cryptography 1st Edition in PDF format
Practical Cryptography 1st Edition PDF Free Download
Download Practical Cryptography 1st Edition 2003 PDF Free
Practical Cryptography 1st Edition 2003 PDF Free Download
Download Practical Cryptography 1st Edition PDF
Free Download Ebook Practical Cryptography 1st Edition