Books

Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

The unique and original applied cryptography book!
Easy to read, perfect level of detail.
Excellent Introduction
A must-have book for understanding Cryptography.
Prepare to drink from the firehose

Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition
Bruce Schneier
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books

General | Software Books | Custom Stores | Stores | Software
Similar Items:

Practical Cryptography
Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World
Beyond Fear
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
Handbook of Applied Cryptography (Crc Press Series on Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

ASIN: 0471117099

Amazon.com

Cryptographic techniques have applications far beyond the obvious uses of encoding and decoding information. For Internet developers who need to know about capabilities, such as digital signatures, that depend on cryptographic techniques, there's no better overview than Applied Cryptography, the definitive book on the subject. Bruce Schneier covers general classes of cryptographic protocols and then specific techniques, detailing the inner workings of real-world cryptographic algorithms including the Data Encryption Standard and RSA public-key cryptosystems. The book includes source-code listings and extensive advice on the practical aspects of cryptography implementation, such as the importance of generating truly random numbers and of keeping keys secure.

Book Description

". . .the best introduction to cryptography I've ever seen. . . . The book the National Security Agency wanted never to be published. . . ." -Wired Magazine

". . .monumental . . . fascinating . . . comprehensive . . . the definitive work on cryptography for computer programmers . . ." -Dr. Dobb's Journal

". . .easily ranks as one of the most authoritative in its field." -PC Magazine

". . .the bible of code hackers." -The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog

This new edition of the cryptography classic provides you with a comprehensive survey of modern cryptography. The book details how programmers and electronic communications professionals can use cryptography-the technique of enciphering and deciphering messages-to maintain the privacy of computer data. It describes dozens of cryptography algorithms, gives practical advice on how to implement them into cryptographic software, and shows how they can be used to solve security problems. Covering the latest developments in practical cryptographic techniques, this new edition shows programmers who design computer applications, networks, and storage systems how they can build security into their software and systems.

What's new in the Second Edition?
* New information on the Clipper Chip, including ways to defeat the key escrow mechanism
* New encryption algorithms, including algorithms from the former Soviet Union and South Africa, and the RC4 stream cipher
* The latest protocols for digital signatures, authentication, secure elections, digital cash, and more
* More detailed information on key management and cryptographic implementations

Customer Reviews:

The unique and original applied cryptography book!.......2007-06-27

This book is extremely complete. It briefly covers the history of cryptography. It describes the political implications of cryptography and finally it shows how cryptography can be used in applications and presents the different cryptographic algorithms.

The algorithm section starts with a number theory primer.Honestly, I have found it a little bit too thin to learn all the needed background to fully understand the algorithms but on the other side, you cannot expect a simple 600 pages book to provide that background in the latest mathematical research number theories. It has at least the merit that it did stimulate my curiosity about number theory when I have read the first edition of this book.

Another point that makes this book interesting is that at the end of each chapter presenting the various algorithms in a given category, you will get Bruce Schneier opinion on which algorithm is the best. Of course, this type of information usually become outdated real fast but it is interesting to follow his thought process and test his predictions as the book grow older.

So, if you are looking for your first cryptography book, it should be this one.

Easy to read, perfect level of detail........2007-06-07

Great Book! The author's style makes this very easy to follow, and he frequently clarifies on topics which are difficult to grasp. Most importantly, he writes from a practical point of view; the material is very grounded and applicable instead of being a math textbook. That being said, he cites over 1600 sources; the book is riddled with leads to sources with more complete coverage for those interested in the fine details. Though I have some programming experience, I don't intend to write any programs; but it is interesting to read the logic in code. It was my goal to learn about modern cryptography and I have achieved that and much more.

Excellent Introduction.......2007-03-12

This book is now in the thirteenth reprinting of it's second edition with more than a hundred thousand copies sold. It is the definitive book on cryptography from the standpoint of a general overview of what sending secret messages is all about. It is not specifically oriented to the developer, but is more general in nature. There is not enough here for the mathematically inclined to seriously research the background of all the various systems.

As such consider this to be an introductory book on cryptography in general with a bit of history, a bit of story telling, an analysis of various cryptographic protocols and systems. There is source code provided for nine common protocols, and an invitation to order a three disk system that has source code for several more algorithms, functions, systems and additional text on various subjects. This disk set can only be sent to US and Canada addresses because of export rules on cryptographic information.

This is the definitive book on the subject. The only complaint I have is that it could stand to be done over in a third edition that would bring it more up to date.

A must-have book for understanding Cryptography........2006-03-11

This book has really shed a lot of light on cryptography for me. I honestly can't put it down--I wish I had paid more attention in my statistics classes so I could be able to apply some of the stuff the author talks about better. I am about half way through the book, and I haven't gotten to the point where it's more of a chore than a pleasure to read it (something I can't about my other technical books).
Glancing through the C source code at the end of the book started me thinking on the code implementation in my efforts - although I used Java althrough my life. I am not much comfortable with the C code because I was hoping for more goodie examples. If you want some practical guidance..you may little bit uncomforatble as well. At the end of the day if you are serious about Cryptography then you really need to get a copy of this.

Prepare to drink from the firehose.......2006-02-28

This book is really incredible. When it was first published in the mid-90's, there was almost no material available on the subject of cryptography. Now, ten years later, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of books riding on Schneier's coattails - but almost none have anything new or useful to say. Impeccably researched (with 1,653 references!) and unarguably complete, Schneier's expertise in theoretical mathematics, experience as a practitioner, and razor-sharp lucidity combine to make this the only book you'll ever need on the subject of cryptography.

Handbook of Applied Cryptography (Crc Press Series on Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

Average customer rating:

Advanced Crypto for the college mind.
Fantastic traditional reference
A very detailed book, but not for everyone.
Complete and satisfying
Very depthful yet readable

Handbook of Applied Cryptography (Crc Press Series on Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)
Alfred J. Menezes , Paul C. van Oorschot , and Scott A. Vanstone
Manufacturer: TF-CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books

Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition
Practical Cryptography
Cryptography: Theory and Practice, Third Edition (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)
Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems
Modern Cryptography: Theory and Practice

ASIN: 0849385237

Book Description

Cryptography, in particular public-key cryptography, has emerged in the last 20 years as an important discipline that is not only the subject of an enormous amount of research, but provides the foundation for information security in many applications. Standards are emerging to meet the demands for cryptographic protection in most areas of data communications. Public-key cryptographic techniques are now in widespread use, especially in the financial services industry, in the public sector, and by individuals for their personal privacy, such as in electronic mail. This Handbook will serve as a valuable reference for the novice as well as for the expert who needs a wider scope of coverage within the area of cryptography. It is a necessary and timely guide for professionals who practice the art of cryptography. The Handbook of Applied Cryptography provides a treatment that is multifunctional:

Customer Reviews:

Advanced Crypto for the college mind........2004-04-26

This very detailed work is not for the light hearted. It's an in depth look at the mathmatics behind cryptography. If you're looking for a book to help you program then look for Applied Cryptography by Bruce the crypto king instead. If you're looking for something to help you learn cryptoanalysis and how to break codes then this is the first step.

Fantastic traditional reference.......2004-01-03

The Chapter 14 - Efficient Implementation - shows several multiple precision algorithms. They are very easy to understand and implement under any microprocessor. It is a very good complement to the book set written by Donald Knuth (The Art of Computer Programming, Volumes 1-3 Boxed Set), another fantastic traditional reference.

A very detailed book, but not for everyone........2003-10-13

This is a fairly strong book on crypto, with heavy detail on the math involved. The upside is that the second chapter is devoted to most of the important mathematical theory you'll need to understand for the rest of the book. The downside? That chapter tries to cover just about the same breadth of information as a semester long course in Number Theory.

If you don't have a ton of mathematical background and are scared of having to take a crash course in number theory, or are looking for a higher level view of things, I'd suggest something more along the lines of Bruce Schneier's 'Applied Cryptography' (ASIN 0471117099). If you have some mathematical background, but want to get into things in detail, this is probably for you.

If you're not sure whether you'll like the book, you should definitely take a look at it. While Amazon currently doesn't have sample pages, if you do a Web Search on "Handbook of Applied Cryptography", you can find Sample Chapters hosted online to give you a good feel for the book's style.

Complete and satisfying.......2003-07-06

This book is a deep detailed analysis of
modern cryptography. It is light on
cryptanalysis.
The mathematical background information
and explanations are complete and clear.
It is very satisfying to be able to read
the prose and implement the ideas in
a computer program with ease.

Very depthful yet readable.......2003-02-22

I read 4 other books before picking this one. It is the most detailed and readable book. Covers all aspect of the Cryptography. Worth the money.

Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++: Recipes for Cryptography, Authentication, Input Validation & More

Average customer rating:

Good developer reference
a good reference if you've really got to be secure
Great book for anyone using C
A task-oriented reference guide
Bought it for one reason but ended up using it.

Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++: Recipes for Cryptography, Authentication, Input Validation & More
John Viega , and Matt Messier
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

French | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

C & C++ | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Internet Security | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Software Books | Custom Stores | Stores | Software
Similar Items:

Network Security with OpenSSL
Secure Coding: Principles and Practices
Secure Coding in C and C++ (SEI Series in Software Engineering)
SSL and TLS: Designing and Building Secure Systems
Building Secure Software: How to Avoid Security Problems the Right Way

ASIN: 0596003943

Book Description

Password sniffing, spoofing, buffer overflows, and denial of service: these are only a few of the attacks on today's computer systems and networks. At the root of this epidemic is poorly written, poorly tested, and insecure code that puts everyone at risk. Clearly, today's developers need help figuring out how to write code that attackers won't be able to exploit. But writing such code is surprisingly difficult. Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++ is an important new resource for developers serious about writing secure code. It contains a wealth of solutions to problems faced by those who care about the security of their applications. It covers a wide range of topics, including safe initialization, access control, input validation, symmetric and public key cryptography, cryptographic hashes and MACs, authentication and key exchange, PKI, random numbers, and anti-tampering. The rich set of code samples provided in the book's more than 200 recipes will help programmers secure the C and C++ programs they write for both Unix® (including Linux®) and Windows® environments. Readers will learn:

How to avoid common programming errors, such as buffer overflows, race conditions, and format string problems
How to properly SSL-enable applications
How to create secure channels for client-server communication without SSL
How to integrate Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) into applications
Best practices for using cryptography properly
Techniques and strategies for properly validating input to programs
How to launch programs securely
How to use file access mechanisms properly
Techniques for protecting applications from reverse engineering

The book's web site supplements the book by providing a place to post new recipes, including those written in additional languages like Perl, Java, and Python. Monthly prizes will reward the best recipes submitted by readers. Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++ is destined to become an essential part of any developer's library, a code companion developers will turn to again and again as they seek to protect their systems from attackers and reduce the risks they face in today's dangerous world.

Customer Reviews:

Good developer reference .......2006-03-23

This is a well-written and example oriented book for C/C++ programmers that covers secure programming in all aspects. I had been using this book for last one year now and It helps me as a quick reference and also real source code demonstrating practical approaches that can be incorporated into their software projects.

The book needs a little update but still helps any aspiring C/C++ programmer involved with crypto.

a good reference if you've really got to be secure.......2004-05-13

If you are not sure that you need this book, then you probably don't. But if there is something it the table of contents that you've got to know, and you've got to get it right, then this would be a good book to have. Chapter 12 on Anti-Tampering was a really enjoyable read, though probably a futile task.

Great book for anyone using C.......2003-10-31

This is simply a great book for anyone using C or C++.

These guys literally wrote the book on secure code.

Read it!

A task-oriented reference guide.......2003-10-16

This well-written book covers a lot of topics that I have not read in other books.

Its strengths include:

--Good coverage of cryptography programming
--Task-oriented solutions to specific programming problems
--Easy to navigate "cookbook" style ("with recipes" as the authors call them)

However, some areas of improvement might be:

--Could use more coverage of important subjects (buffer overflows, etc.)
--spends a lot of space on narrower examples (like explaining certain APIs that are documented well online)
--Sometimes jumps into material without much background explanation (which was confusing for me)

It is probably not the first book you should read on the subject. This is more of a recipe guide that is useful if you get stuck on coding a particular topic that happens to be covered. The authors have done a good job of explaining what coverage they do and don't include.

Bought it for one reason but ended up using it........2003-10-16

To be truthful, I bought this book because the "gang" I hang out with is mentioned in the Acknowledgments section of the book. That was the ONLY reason when I sent money to Amazon.Com and purchased it for the dusty collection on my bookshelf.

But, when I got it and chuckled over the Acknowledgements section, I started to mindlessly flip through the book. Mindless page flipping soon turned to semi-conscious scanning. Semi-conscious scanning soon turned to serious reading. I find myself reading the book more and more, jumping back and forth between sections I find interesting and useful.

As a Windows C++ programmer for in-house tools, I do not dwell much on secure programming concepts. Yes, this is very, very bad way to program, so those of you reading this review should not try it at home. This book has shown the errors of my ways, revealed security issues that I have overlooked by accident or on purpose and gave concepts and examples that I can apply in my projects.

This book is one reference that I will be going back over and over again. The authors and editors have done a wonderful job to make the reading flow nice and easy. It is also very well laid out by stating the problem you may encounter, followed by a solution and then detailed discussion section with code samples.

For any C/C++ programmer making software to be used by more than one person, this reference book is a must.

You can still read the Acknowledgments and marvel at my name on there, of course.

Cryptography in C and C++, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Good book with valuable source code
practical guide to software implementation of cryptography
Excellent!
Good book -- Wrong title
a book that takes the abstract and makes it practical

Cryptography in C and C++, Second Edition
Michael Welschenbach
Manufacturer: Apress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books

General | Software Books | Custom Stores | Stores | Software
Similar Items:

Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition
Practical Cryptography
Modern Cryptography: Theory and Practice
Handbook of Applied Cryptography (Crc Press Series on Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)
Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++: Recipes for Cryptography, Authentication, Input Validation & More

ASIN: 1590595025

Book Description

This book covers all that is needed to write professional-level cryptographic code. An expanded and improved version of the very well received first edition, it includes approximately 100 pages of new material as well as numerous improvements in the original text.

Customer Reviews:

Good book with valuable source code.......2007-03-19

This book is really good for beginners in cryptography. However, the most useful thing in the book is the source code, which can be used for programming your own crypto protocols. I would give this 5/5 rating.

practical guide to software implementation of cryptography.......2006-12-15

This book offers a practical and relatively easy to read description of implementing cryptography algorithms, especially RSA, in software. Most books in the field are highly mathematical. This book covers all of the necessary mathematics, but also explains how to efficiently implement the mathematics in C. It covers many of the real-life issues in building security software. As a researcher in the field, I found the book very helpful.

Excellent!.......2004-11-03

Don't even try to do crypto routines in C/C++ without this book.

It will save you a lot of heartache.

Read it!

Good book -- Wrong title.......2004-04-17

If truth in titling were a crime, someone would be in leg-irons over this one. This book should be entitled, "A Detailed Account of the Construction of a Large-Precision Number Library of the Sort that can be Used for RSA and Similar Cryptographic Systems, with a few Examples." The book fulfills this latter title exceptionally well.

The great majority of this book is a detailed, step-by-step account of the how the author constructed a C-language big-number library. It treats wrapping the C-libraries with C++ classes as a separate chapter -- nice touch. This treatise is thorough, well-written, and engaging. Nicely done. It is written from a mathematicians perspective, and its mathematical underpinnings may repel some programmers, but they need not fear. In the end the C-code is well-explained.

The only "cryptography" of note is a chapter on implementing RSA with the library. Indeed, the great majority of implementing RSA and similar ciphers is creating the big-number libraries. The RSA chapter is, fortunately, much more than a simple example. It is an excellent treatise of the pitfalls in implementing RSA. That is, RSA is more than a "simple example." If you are implemeting RSA with any big-number library, this chapter alone is worth the cost of admission.

There is a chapter on AES (Rijndael) cipher, but it is out of place here and an obvious paste-on, probably a last minute, hot-button item required by the publisher. It really has nothing you can't get from the original NIST documents on AES.

I'm willing to believe that the title and AES paste-on are the fault of the publisher, because otherwise Welschenbach did an excellent job -- lots of hard and careful work, well documeted. With a title-change, I'd give it a 5-star.

The question in the end is: Why would you want this book? Apart from general interest, the audiences that come to my mind are those who are constructing such libraries on their own, and those who need to use the software included with the book (on a non-commercial basis -- the software license prohibits commercial use).

a book that takes the abstract and makes it practical.......2002-07-14

This book will only be appealing to avid crypto fans. The book takes the abstract concept of contemporary algorithms and provides mechanisms for the user to contstruct concrete examples in C & C++ computer code. A rare advanced crypto book that also provides the reader with the mechanisms to explore the various aspects of contemporary advanced crypto ideas in programs. Welschenbach provides the boilerplate code for integrating these highly esoteric functions in C. Invaluable if you have both crypto knowledge and programming acumen.

Encyclopedia of Cryptography and Security

Average customer rating:

excellent coverage of crypto!

Encyclopedia of Cryptography and Security

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Information Theory | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

A Classical Introduction to Cryptography: Applications for Communications Security
Complexity Theory and Cryptology
A Classical Introduction to Cryptography Exercise Book
Handbook of Elliptic and Hyperelliptic Curve Cryptography (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)
Handbook of Applied Cryptography (Crc Press Series on Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

ASIN: 038723473X

Book Description

This comprehensive encyclopedia provides easy access to information on all aspects of cryptography and security. With an A–Z format of over 460 entries, 100+ international experts provide an accessible reference for those seeking entry into any aspect of the broad fields of cryptography and information security. Most entries in this preeminent work include useful literature references, providing more than 2500 references in total.

Topics for the encyclopedia were selected by a distinguished advisory board consisting of 18 of the world’s leading scholars and practitioners. Main subject areas include:

Authentication and identification

Block ciphers and stream ciphers

Computational issues

Copy protection

Cryptanalysis and security

Cryptographic protocols

Electronic payment and digital certificates

Elliptic curve cryptography

Factorization algorithms and primality tests

Hash functions and MACs

Historical systems

Identity-based cryptography

Implementation aspects for smart cards and standards

Key management

Multiparty computations like voting schemes

Public key cryptography

Quantum cryptography

Secret sharing schemes

Sequences

Web security

The style of the entries in the Encyclopedia of Cryptography and Security is expository and tutorial rather than detailed and technical, making the book a practical resource for information security experts as well as professionals in other fields who need to access this vital information but who may not have time to work their way through an entire text on their topic of interest.

The underlying concepts in information security can be difficult to understand and may even be counter-intuitive. The Encyclopedia of Cryptography and Security will become the premier reference work on this complex subject.

Customer Reviews:

excellent coverage of crypto!.......2005-09-17

For the acutely interested reader, this encylopedia is well worth perusing from cover to cover. It is not that long that this is an arduous task. Nor is it that highly mathematical that you will take months doing so. The level of mathematical treatment is moderate. By that I mean it is less than in journal papers. To be sure, you need a strong maths background going in. And previous exposure to various crypto ideas, notably public key infrastructure, would be good.

For Web usage, people worried about the rising levels of malware might see what the book offers as possible countermeasures. As ecommerce and other activities become more frequent, the possibility of man in the middle attacks increases. Plus, the incredible recent surge in phishing and pharming has led some to suggest that strong cryptographic methods for authentication of messages and web pages might be useful. Keep in mind that this is not necessarily a given. Other methods are possible which avoid cryptography. (I am the co-inventor of several of these methods.) This is something that an astute reader should keep in mind when going through the text. Step up from the details of the various crypto procedures and ask yourself if there are ways to avoid using these, and still prevent attacks. The entire mindset of this book is about using crypto. While it is a dreadful cliche to say 'think outside the box', perhaps you should try to do so here.

There is even a discussion of quantum cryptography. Which may be an ultimate, unbreakable method, if it ever becomes feasible. The quantum systems are so delicate, especially if coherence needs to be maintained over macroscopic distances, that one might reasonably wonder about the eventual efficacies. There are two main postulated usages. One is to break an existing encryption. The other is to prevent a man in the middle attack. It is in the latter that coherence may be more of a problem. For the former, one can imagine a spatially limited, microscopic or mesoscopic system, in which the decryption is occurring.

Elliptic Curves: Number Theory and Cryptography (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

Average customer rating:

Washington Elliptic Curves
Solid intermediate introduction to elliptic curves
A clear, concise introduction to elliptic curves
It might be a good book for a mathematic student but not a good one for an engineering student.
Excellent

Elliptic Curves: Number Theory and Cryptography (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)
Lawrence C. Washington
Manufacturer: TF-CHPMN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Guide to Elliptic Curve Cryptography (Springer Professional Computing)
Rational Points on Elliptic Curves (Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics)
Elliptic Curves in Cryptography
Handbook of Elliptic and Hyperelliptic Curve Cryptography (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)
The Arithmetic of Elliptic Curves (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)

ASIN: 1584883650

Book Description

Written by a well-known number theorist with an extensive cryptographic background, this book interweaves the theory of elliptic curves with their applications, particularly to cryptography. A thorough treatment is given for the discrete logarithm problem for elliptic curves. Recent applications of the Weil pairing and the Tate-Lichtenbaum pairing are discussed. The text treats elliptic curves over finite fields, the rationals, and the complex numbers. The book makes elliptic curves accessible to a large audience, including senior-level undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and computer science.

Customer Reviews:

Washington Elliptic Curves.......2007-01-12

I bought this book as a follow-up to working my way through "Introduction to Cryptography with Coding Theory" (by the same author together Wade Trappe) (which I strongly recommend as well). I was not disappointed - Washington covers a difficult but important topic in a masterly fashion which should be accessible to anyone with a serious interest in elliptic curve cryptography. It successfully follows a middle road between the standard, but rather abstract texts on number theory and those which give details of algorithms but few proofs. There are ample examples and enjoyable exercises. Strongly recommended.

Solid intermediate introduction to elliptic curves.......2006-06-12

I compare this book to Rational Points on Elliptic Curves (RP) by Tate and Silverman, and The Arithmetic of Ellipitic Curves (AEC) by Silverman.

RP is definitely for junior and senior undergraduates interested in elliptic curves. With modest knowledge of real and complex analysis (calculus and some complex calculus), RP introduces the concept of elliptic curves and presents many interesting results. Unfortunately, a lot of hand waving goes on, i.e., many results are merely stated, instead of proved.

AEC is definitely for graduate students who have all ready taken the graduate algebra and geometry sequences. A lot of high powered mathematics is used in this text to get at the heart of elliptic curves.

Washington's book falls right in between these two books. He assumes knowledge of some analysis and algebra (particulary abelian groups), then develops much of what else is needed. Some hand waving exists (mainly for some of the high powered projective geometry needed to fully understand the geometry of elliptic curves) in this book, but this does not detract from the understanding of the additive group on elliptic curves, the primary focus of the book.

For those with a basic handle on real analysis and group theory, this book can easily be used for self-teaching.

A clear, concise introduction to elliptic curves.......2006-02-20

I used this book as my main resource when writing my undergraduate dissertation on elliptic curve group structure. Although once I wanted to have a more in-depth look into any particular subject I had to chase up the references, this book made an excellent starting point. This book is a solid, clear introduction to the subject, which can be easily understood even by maths undergrads in the later years of their study (though if you're not a mathematician you may find it hard going!!) I found it be the clearest textbook on elliptic curves I came across, especially as it doesn't assume any background knowledge of algebraic geometry.

It might be a good book for a mathematic student but not a good one for an engineering student........2005-09-06

It might be a good book for a mathematic student but not a good one for an engineering student. There are too many mathematic jargons with very limited explanations. Many notations just take for granted that the readers have already known them. It is very hard for people who have limited math background. Moreover, there are so many editorial errors in the current version. I would suggest that the author put a mathematical symbol/sign index at the end of the book and make it easier for the readers to look for their meanings.

Excellent.......2003-07-19

Anyone who writes a book on elliptic curves will never do a bad job, for these objects are so beautiful that it would be a sacrilege to do otherwise. Those who study elliptic curves fall under their spell, not only because of their beauty, but also because of their many applications: the spinning top in mechanics, cryptography, exactly solved models in statistical mechanics, precession of the Mercury perihelion in general relativity, the proof of Fermat's Last (Wiles) Theorem, control theory, and string theory, to name a few. This book is an excellent treatment of ECs and would be good for a graduate student starting out in the field. The author gives many concrete examples of the main theorems, and helpful exercises are found at the end of each chapter.

The author begins the book with two neat problems that motivate well the subject of elliptic curves: the pyramid of cannonballs and the right triangle problem, i.e. which integers can occur as areas of right triangles with integer sides? He then immediately begins the elementary theory of ECs in chapter 2. The treatment is pretty standard, although he proves Pascal's and Pappus's theorems using the associativity of the group operation on ECs, which is not usually done in books on ECs. Also somewhat non-standard this early in the game is the discussion of reduction of ECs modulo various primes, and the subsequent definitions of additive, split multiplicative, and non-split multiplicative reduction.

The study of torsion points is done in chapter 3 with the Weil pairing on the n-torsion of an EC taking center stage. A fairly short chapter, the author delays the proof of the properties of the Weil pairing until chapter 11, where it is done with divisors.

Chapter 4 deals with elliptic curves over finite fields, and is one of the most important in the book from the standpoint of cryptographic applications of ECs. Hasse's theorem, giving the bounds for the group of points on an EC over a finite field, is proven in detail. The Frobenius endomorphism is introduced, and a proof of Schoof's algorithm for computing the number of points on ECs over a finite field is given a detailed treatment. There are many symbolic computational software packages in both the open and commerical realm which will do the counting straightforwardly, and anyone interested in cryptography will need to be familiar with some of these. Supersingular curves in characteristic p are introduced, and the author gives a good discussion of the reason why they are named as such.

The discrete logarithm problem, a topic also very important for cryptographic applications, is discussed in chapter 5. The chapter beings with the index calculus, and, recognizing that it does not apply to general groups, the Pohlig-Hellman, baby step-giant step method, and Pollards rho and lambda methods are discussed in details. The author then shows that for supersingular and "anomalous" curves, that the discrete logarithm problem can be reduced to an easier discrete logarithm problem. Along the way, two important concepts are introduced: the p-adic valuation, and the Tate-Lichtenbaum pairing, the latter of which is related to the Weil pairing, but applies to situations where the Weil pairing does not.

Elliptic curve cryptography is then discussed in chapter 6, and the treatment is fairly thorough. The author shows to what extent the Decision Diffie-Hellman problem can be solved using the Weil pairing. He also shows how to represent a message on an elliptic curve, satisfying early on any reader's curiosity on just how this is done. The El Gamal and ECDSA are compared in terms of their computational efficiency. An EC generalization of RSA is also discussed in some detail, along with a cryptosystem based on the Weil pairing. Chapter 7 then gives other applications of ECs, such as factoring and primality testing.

Chapter 8 marks the beginning of the "heavy artillery" in the theory of ECs, for here the author begins the discussion of elliptic curves over the rational numbers, which can be viewed as an example of Diophantine geometry. The famous Mordell-Weil theorem is proved, and as a sign that one is definitely in the arena of modern mathematics, the proof is given in terms of Galois cohomology, which is an abstraction of the Fermat method of descent. The reader gets a taste of height functions, and via some good examples, gets insight into why the rank of the EC is so difficult to compute. A neat example is given of a nontrivial Shafarevich-Tate group.

I did not read the chapters 9, 10, or 11 on ECs over the complex numbers, complex multiplication, and divisors, so I will omit their review. Chapter 12 introduces the famous zeta functions, and their use in obtaining arithmetic information about an EC. Zeta functions motivate the definition of an L-function of an EC, these being tremendously important in modern developments in the theory of ECs, such as the Swinnerton-Dyer and Birch conjecture, the latter of which is motivated rather nicely in this chapter.

The last chapter of the book is an excellent introduction to the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. Considering the level of the book, the author captures very well the essential ideas. Readers will be well prepared, after studying more algebraic number theory and the theory of Galois representations (which the author only skims in the book), to tackle the full proof if so desired.

The Mathematics of Ciphers: Number Theory and RSA Cryptography

Average customer rating:

all about understanding RSA
Excellent introduction
multiplication

The Mathematics of Ciphers: Number Theory and RSA Cryptography
S. C. Coutinho
Manufacturer: AK Peters, Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

A Course in Number Theory and Cryptography (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Prime Numbers: A Computational Perspective
Elementary Cryptanalysis: A Mathematical Approach (New Mathematical Library)
Cryptography in C and C++, Second Edition
Cryptography: Theory and Practice, Third Edition (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

ASIN: 1568810822

Customer Reviews:

all about understanding RSA.......2006-01-18

The book revolves around RSA. The motivation for the book is that the reader wants to understand public/private key cryptography, where this is represented by the seminal RSA algorithm.

The author assumes little previous acquaintance with number theory on your part. He develops his arguments from this minimal background. So modular arithmetic is introduced, and thence such key ideas as groups, primality tests, Chinese Remainder Theorem and, finally, the RSA cryptosystem. Each chapter has a problem set of moderate difficulty.

A maths undergraduate at the sophomore level or higher should be able to benefit from the book.

Excellent introduction.......1999-06-27

This book is a very readable introduction to the theory of numbers. The author manages to concentrate in a relatively short book and with a very clear and pleasant style the material necessary to understand the mathematics underneath the RSA cryptosystem. No previous knowledge of advanced mathematics is assumed. Perhaps not enough for mathematicians, but more than rewarding for the rest of us. It reminds me a bit of the style of M. Gardner. Books on mathematics can be very dull without the style of exposition of Mr. Coutinho. Highly recommended !

multiplication.......1999-02-12

multiplicatio

Introduction to Cryptography with Coding Theory

Average customer rating:

General Book Review
This book needs lots of work!
explains digital cash and quantum cryptography
A superb book
Hard to follow.

Introduction to Cryptography with Coding Theory
Wade Trappe , and Lawrence C. Washington
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Privacy | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Coding Theory | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Systems Analysis & Design | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Networking | Computer Science & Information Systems | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Cryptography: Theory and Practice, Third Edition (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)
Modern Cryptography: Theory and Practice
Cryptological Mathematics (Classroom Resource Material)
Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition
Handbook of Applied Cryptography (Crc Press Series on Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

ASIN: 0130618144

Book Description

This book assumes a minimal background in programming and a level of math sophistication equivalent to a course in linear algebra. It provides a flexible organization, as each chapter is modular and can be covered in any order. Using Mathematica, Maple, and MATLAB, computer examples included in an Appendix explain how to do computation and demonstrate important concepts. A full chapter on error correcting codes introduces the basic elements of coding theory. Other topics covered: Classical cryptosystems, basic number theory, the data encryption standard, AES: Rijndael, the RSA algorithm, discrete logarithms, digital signatures, e-commerce and digital cash, secret sharing schemes, games, zero knowledge techniques, key establishment protocols, information theory, elliptic curves, error correcting codes, quantum cryptography. For professionals in cryptography and network security.

Customer Reviews:

General Book Review.......2007-03-10

I am using this book in a senior eletrical engineering course. This is an excellentally written text, though very mathematically. Even though it recommmends a calculus based course in Probability I would recommend a you also have a good grasp on working with modulus or mod (n). A course in number theory would help too. If you don't have hat then extra time should be dedicated to a course using this text.

This book needs lots of work!.......2006-11-01

The problems with this book are:
(1) The authors failed to explain the math involved in neither rigor nor
intuitive way. The authors frequently try to introduce algorithms before
explaining the concepts or definition.

(2) The book is a mixture of number theory, linear algebra, cryptography, mixed
almost randomly, without proper dependency logic. Neither cryptography algorithm,
no number theory or linear algebra concepts involved are explained clearly.

(3) It is more like a notebook taken by a student. It appears that the authors
simply submit the lecture notes for publication, none efforts were made to
turn a lecture notes to a published book.

Readers are not their students, they do not have access to the authors.
It appears to me that this is the only explaination, since I hate to doubt the
authors capability in writing a textbook in this field. I simply can not imagine
a competent professor in his field writing such a confusing textbook.

I hate to spend my time in writing this note, but this book wasted too much my time,
I just hope others will be lucky that I am. My knowledge in both math and CS are above
Master degree level.

explains digital cash and quantum cryptography.......2006-06-23

Trappe and Washington give us a very up to date education in cryptography, circa 2005. The discourse is for a sophisticated maths student who, however, need never have encountered cryptography before. The level of mathematical treatment is good and rigourous. With theorems stated and proved at a level that should satisfy even a picky mathematician.

The recent nature of the book is reflected in several places. Notably where it explains the Advanced Encryption Standard, or Rijndael. This is significant because it is endorsed by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology as the replacement for DES, in such contexts as electronic commerce. (DES is also covered by the book.)

Interestingly, the authors offer a short chapter on digital cash. A fascinating look at a possible future direction of a (physically) cashless society. Other texts on cryptography rarely cover the topic, so it's good to see it here. Yes, the first implementations of digital cash largely died in the dot com crash. But the idea lives on, and may yet take fruit. It has solid intellectual foundations, as shown by the book.

Then there is an even more speculative chapter on quantum cryptography. Radically different from the symmetric and public key cryptosystems described in the rest of the book. Who knows how quantum cryptography will turn out? Some very hard physical problems need to be solved.

A superb book.......2006-03-19

If more mathematics textbooks were written like this one, the number of mathematicians/scientists in the world would be much greater.
The book is an absolute pleasure to read. The discoursive style makes what surely can be considered as a hard subject smooth and easily flowing.
The subject is very well covered and the structure of the book is just fine, even for self-study.
Algorithms, encryption methods, mathematical theorems are nicely and elegantly explained and no previous knowledge is necessary in any of the fields.
At the end of many explanations or proofs I found myself stunned by the brevity and beauty of the argument.
I enjoyed also the nice software support and exercise coming with the books.

Hard to follow........2006-02-25

This book uses a lot of mathematical notation and lacks explanations in words to accompany them, making it hard to understand some of the concepts. There don't seem to be enough examples to really understand what's going on. I'd say this book is great for people who are already familiar with cryptography and very familiar with math but for those who don't think in terms of mathematical proofs, it's not so good.

An Introduction to Cryptology (The International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)

Average customer rating:

An Introduction to Cryptology (The International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)
Henk C.A. van Tilborg
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Writing | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Systems Analysis & Design | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0898382718

The Comanche Code Talkers of World War II

Average customer rating:

Excellent book
Very Interesting
Last Comanche code talker

The Comanche Code Talkers of World War II
William C. Meadows
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Navajo Weapon: The Navajo Code Talkers (Native American Culture)
Warriors: Navajo Code Talkers
Navajo Code Talkers
The Navajo Code Talkers (25th Anniversary Edition)
Winds of Freedom: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II

ASIN: 0292752741

Book Description

"Of all the books on Native American service in the U.S. armed forces, this is the best.... Readers will find the story of the Comanche Code Talkers compelling, humorous, thought-provoking, and inspiring."

—Tom Holm, author of Strong Hearts, Wounded Souls: Native American Veterans of the Vietnam War

Among the allied troops that came ashore in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, were thirteen Comanches in the 4th Infantry Division, 4th Signal Company. Under German fire they laid communications lines and began sending messages in a form never before heard in Europe—coded Comanche. For the rest of World War II, the Comanche Code Talkers played a vital role in transmitting orders and messages in a code that was never broken by the Germans.

This book tells the full story of the Comanche Code Talkers for the first time. Drawing on interviews with all surviving members of the unit, their original training officer, and fellow soldiers, as well as military records and news accounts, William C. Meadows follows the group from their recruitment and training to their active duty in World War II and on through their postwar lives up to the present. He also provides the first comparison of Native American code talking programs, comparing the Comanche Code Talkers with their better-known Navajo counterparts in the Pacific and with other Native Americans who used their languages, coded or not, for secret communication. Meadows sets this history in a larger discussion of the development of Native American code talking in World Wars I and II, identifying two distinct forms of Native American code talking, examining the attitudes of the American military toward Native American code talkers, and assessing the complex cultural factors that led Comanche and other Native Americans to serve their country in this way.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book.......2007-05-13

An excellent book that chronicles events during World War II that were largely unknown and unheralded until just recently.

Very Interesting.......2005-09-19

The first two chapters have a lot of statics and history in them. The interesting part begins at chapter 3 when the author includes interviews with the actual participants and their experiences during the war.

Last Comanche code talker.......2005-07-25

Charles Chibitty, the last surviving Comanche code talker, died in July, 2005, at the age of 83.

Books:

Books