Internet Cryptography by Richard E. Smith

Why buy an old book on cryptography?

This book was written in 1997, describing the world of Internet Cryptography at that time. Since then, many details have changed, but the higher-level concepts have remained constant. The book examines cryptography and Internet security from the point of view of what goes wrong, which makes it easier to understand why security experts choose such odd ways of doing things. In addition, the book contains prioritized checklists of security features that successful Internet security systems and products should have. These lists were designed to stand the test of time and the evolution of new things, like the Advanced Encryption Standard. While specific recommendations regarding individual crypto algorithms and protocols may become obsolete, the underlying recommendations (that you use proven techniques that have been investigated by the open cryptography community) remain true today.

Following a surge of sales when it first came out, the book has continued to sell steadily, if modestly. The comments I most often hear from satisfied readers is that they appreciate the simple, clear explanations of complex technical mechanisms. Even though there are a lot of cryptography books out there, this one offers some of the clearest descriptions of network cryptography mechanisms.

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About the Book (cover notes)

Here, in one comprehensive, soup-to-nuts book, is the solution for Internet security: modern-day cryptography. Written by Richard E. Smith, a security expert with a wealth of practical experience, this book covers network and Internet security in terms that are easy to understand, using proven technology, systems, and solutions. From the client workstation to the Web host to the e-mail server, every aspect of this important topic is examined and explained. The once-daunting subject of cryptography is demystified and applied to today's security challenges, including:

Essentials of cryptography
Networking and Internet fundamentals
Encryption building blocks
Virtual private networks
Legal considerations

Setting realistic security objectives
Secured electronic mail
World Wide Web transaction security
Internet Firewalls

This book is written for people who want to move data safely across the Internet and protect corporate databases from unauthorized access. Using real-life case studies, examples, and commercially-available software products, cryptography is presented as a practical solution to specific, everyday security challenges.

Internet Cryptography contains dozens of diagrams, a list of references and a glossary of crypto terms. You can find more information about the book at this Web site in the Preface, the Table of Contents, and comments from Reviews of the book.