SSL and TLS: Designing and Building Secure Systems
by Eric Rescorla
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (13 October, 2000)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $32.99
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Reviews (17)

Great reference book
This is a great book. Well written, good diagrams, very good overview as well as detailed data dump of the protocol. I highly recommend.

if you're doing SSL development, you need this
simply put there is no finer book on the subject. this is to SSL and TLS what TCP/IP illustrated is to Ip networking.

you wont learn much about crytography here (you'll definitely want a book on that, too), but you will learn the nuances of how SSL and TLS work. this is, to the best of my knowledge, the first such attempt at this kind of handbook. and i find it succeeds very well. rescorla's attention to detail shows in everything, and that's exatcly what a book like this needs.

reccomended ...

SSL and TLS
"SSL and TLS" was a fantastic book.It covers all the
levels necessary for one to understand the basics and
then get into the details.I strongly recommend this book
for any SSL beginner and beyond. ... Read more

Isbn: 0201615983
Sales Rank: 75854
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computer Data Security    4. Computer network protocols    5. Computer networks    6. Computers    7. Networking - Network Protocols    8. Security    9. Security measures    10. World Wide Web    11. Computers / Internet / Security   

Secure Electronic Commerce: Building the Infrastructure for Digital Signatures and Encryption (2nd Edition)
by Warwick Ford, Michael S. Baum
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (04 December, 2000)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $43.93
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Editorial Review

If you've been charged with setting up a public key infrastructure (PKI) for an organization, or if you're just not content to trust commercial products' claims of security, have a look at Secure Electronic Commerce: Building the Infrastructure for Digital Signatures and Encryption for a clear and complete overview of digital certificate management techniques. This richly detailed and heavily referenced volume generally stays clear of implementation specifics. Readers can count on it to provide the background in concepts and terminology that they'll need to make PKI design decisions.

Without exception, this is a very clearly written book, but there are rather few conceptual diagrams--and a few more graphics might have clarified the relationships among entities. Regardless, it's abundantly evident that the authors did a great deal of research--a rarity in this field. Nearly every other sentence contains a reference to an endnote. To truly understand how PKI works, study this book and the material it references, and participate in online forums on PKI issues. --David Wall

Topics covered: Public key infrastructure (PKI) design and functionality, including the legal principles behind binding electronic transactions and the details of authentication, encryption, non-repudiation, and key management. Certificates, Certificate Authorities (CAs), and means of managing trust relationships are all covered. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Solid Basis for understanding encryption and certificates
A very well organized and useful reference text regarding encryption nadcertificates. I was pleased at the singling out of PG and its differencesversus other X509 standards.

The best I've seen
Highly recommended - This is still the best intro book I've seen on PKI.Precisely and clearly written.Can't wait for the second edition, though, as this edition is getting a bit dated.

Greak Book for a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Overview
This book is great at understanding the major components of a Public KeyInfrastructure and the surrounding issues.You certainly would not walkaway being able to set up a PKI, but you would be able to discuss itintelligently.If you are trying to come up to speed on PKI, this is thebook for you.The subject is too big to cover everything in one book; so,I would also recommend picking up some more books that look at securityissues specifically.One recommendation is E-Commerce Security by Ghosh. ... Read more

Isbn: 0130272760
Subjects:  1. Business communication    2. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Data Security    5. Computer networks    6. Computer security    7. Computers    8. Electronic Commerce    9. Internet - Security    10. Security    11. Security measures    12. Computers / Internet / Security   

Digital Certificates: Applied Internet Security
by Jalal Feghhi, Peter Williams
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 October, 1998)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $30.67
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Editorial Review

Because the Internet is based on connectionless protocols that route messages through more or less public machines, standard means of Internet communication offer no guarantees of integrity or authenticity. A variety of schemes have sprung up to solve this problem, and Digital Certificates: Applied Internet Security does a great job of explaining the Microsoft approach to securing Internet communications.

Helpfully, the authors spend a fair amount of time explaining the problem of network security and the broad technologies (public-key encryption, key length considerations, authentication, and so on). Having explained the universe in which a security system must work, they then show how to acquire a digital certificate from a certification authority (CA). From there, they show how to use the digital certificate with several pieces of software, including Internet Explorer 3 and 4 (but not 5), Netscape Communicator 4, and Outlook Express 4.

Of more interest to administrators and developers are code snippets that show how to request and process digital certificates in a variety of environments, including Active Server Pages (ASP) and Java. There's background information on the newly standardized Public Key Infrastructure with X.509 (PKIX) and the Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) standard for financial operations too. Coverage of Microsoft Certificate Server includes a lot of programming information, including coverage of the Policy and Exit Modules. --David Wall

Topics covered: Encryption, authentication, X.509 digital certificates, certification authorities, S/MIME, trust relationships, and Microsoft Certificate Server. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great book on Digital Certificates
I really got a lot out of this book.While I was not thrilled with the Microsoft-centricity of the book, I don't feel it detracted from the purpose of the book.They go at a reasonable pace, and do an excellent job at explaining complex subjects.

I do disagree with some of the other reviewers about it being a good book for learning about digital and/or network security.Digital certificates are a small albeit important component of computer security.

An oustanding book aimed at an average audience
This is surely a book I would recommend for those who are interested in learning about digital security without having to delve into complex algorithms and technicalities. The language is simple and objective, and the content provides a comprehensive overview, without being vague. There are a lot of clear examples and cases. A great work indeed !

A great book , Every IT professional must-have
step-by-step get you in to the security arena, very well organized, teaches you things that you can useand work with in a very short period of time. Enjoyed especially the simple yet effective language used inexplaining rather complex topic. ... Read more

Isbn: 0201309807
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Internet    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computer Data Security    4. Computer security    5. Computers    6. Data encryption (Computer scie    7. Data encryption (Computer science)    8. Internet    9. Internet (Computer network)    10. Internet - Security    11. Security    12. Security measures    13. Computers / Internet / Security   

Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition
by BruceSchneier
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (18 October, 1995)
list price: $60.00 -- our price: $37.80
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Editorial Review

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. ... Read more

Reviews (91)

The Bible of the Crypto-world
For anyone working or studying the crypto-world (IT Security, Cryptographer, Cryptologists, PKI/PGP/SecureID Technologists, etc.) this is a must read.

For the fascinating world of Cryptography (the practical application of Cryptology) this is an essential textbook that any graduate course of digital security and cryptology should include.It is inteded as a reference book as well as a practical book to have handy for the working professional.

It's no wonder the NSA had asked the author not to publish this book.It leaves the Crypto-world naked to the average viewer/reader.

Excellent Text - Not Too Mathematical
This book provides excellent coverage of the mayor cryptography algorithms.It is a must have (for academic study or implementation), if only for the completeness of coverage and the comprehensive references.The C code provided is adequate, but reasonable programming skills are assumed.The book is not overly mathematical (which many of the other cryptography texts are - this is great for me, as I am more intereseted in practice).There is also good information on assessing / comparing the merits of different algorithms.Great for the practictioner or student taking a first course (it's still not bedtime reading).Mathematicians will look for more ......

Essential reference for any programmer
Over the long term, this is the applied math book that I come back to most often.

The first quarter of the book may come as a surprise. It's not about encryption, it's about secure protocols. This is great stuff. It includes secure key exchange, where you and I can agree on an encryption key in a public conversation, but none of the other listeners know what we agreed on. It includes zero-knowledge proofs, ways of establishing authorization without releasing your identity. It includes lots more, as well. The next brief section discusses different modes for using encryption algorithms, key management, and other logistics.

The third section is what you might have expected: detailed descriptions of many encryption schemes, taking up at least half the book. That includes public key schemes, private key codes, secure hashing algorithms, and all the other details needed for implementing the algorithms. One of the most useful subsections here is a set of pseudorandom number generators. It's not exhaustive, by any means - it omits the Mersenne Twister, for example. Still, it gives a fair set of algorithms, some of which are "cryptographically secure". That means the generator's output strongly resists attempts to find regularities, just the way a truly random sequence would.

The last two chapters give a brief summary of the practice, legalities, and even culture around cryptography.

This won't make you into a crypto professional. Despite its600+ pages, it barely introduces the world of crypto and certainly doesn't release anything from the "closed" world of government agencies. It will, however, give you useful algorithms, a basic background, and an appreciation of just what real crypto is about. That last may be the most important part. Too many people think inventing a good code is like making love: anyone can do it, and they instinctively do it better than most people. Wrong! Real crypto is not for dabblers, and this book gives some sense of what is involved.

The first edition of "Applied Cryptography" was a landmark text, but the second edition is even better. It's so much better that, if you just have the first edition, you really should upgrade to the second, and I've never said that about any other book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0471117099
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer security    4. Cryptography    5. Discrete Mathematics    6. Programming Languages - General    7. Security    8. Security measures    9. Telecommunication    10. Computers / Security    11. Data security & data encryption   

RSA Security's Official Guide to Cryptography
by Steve Burnett, Stephen Paine
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (29 March, 2001)
list price: $59.99
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Reviews (5)

A very good combination.
A good book that combines the expressions of a Mathematician: Burnett and an Engineer: Paine.
The book is descriptively very good with images that today in day is necessary to understand the theoretical ideas better.
The chapters two, three four contain the most didactic description and with an efficient theoretical profile.
RSASecurity made well in publishing this book as official guide as much as makes CISCO with their books.
It is necessary to stand out that they exist other books of RSA that explain particular details about PKI and IPSec, however the book of Burnett and Paine it is distinguished by the clarity of the exposed topics.
I agree with the chapters eight, nine and ten, although they should expose a little but about the kindness of the protocol SET.
It is a very good book that I recommend for those who want to know about the applied cryptography.
A final recommendation: it is certain that today in day the topic of the telecommunications has come being developed with more peak in the world, and although it is certain, the great majority of the books it defines aspects linked to the nets of computers, it is not necessary to leave aside the nets of cellular telephony and the security of the telecommunications, you that it exists now for example RSA Mobile.
For the side of the content of the CD, it is excellent because it offers us information in files pdf of aspects itemized in cryptography.
Lastly, the algorithm I find RSAOAEP that it should be more extended, with more examples and bigger covering, however its inclusion in the book is the appropriate one.
Very good support of RSASecurity to the world.

Burnett/Paine hit the "nail on the head" with this book
This is a MUST HAVE book, I have not been able to put it down! the other engineers that I work with are so impressed by the attention to detail and clarity that they are also ordering this as I write. For anyone implementing high level security this is the best all around book I have picked up. The info in the appendix sections would be worth buying alone! It gives Technical leaning/learning folks a great primer (and I learned a lot from it too). If you are looking to clarify security models/risks buy this book!

Half and Half
This book really did it.It put me to sleep so fast.The reason why I gave it 2 stars was because the first few chapters did give a quite good introduction on cryptography.I don't know how I got fool into buying this book.Oh yes, it was because of the 5-stars rating I saw on others' comments. ... Read more

Isbn: 007213139X
Sales Rank: 453019
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer networks    4. Computers    5. Cryptography    6. Cryptography/Access Control    7. Data encryption (Computer scie    8. Data encryption (Computer science)    9. Internet - Security    10. Networking - General    11. Security    12. Security measures    13. Computers / Security   

PKI: Implementing & Managing E-Security
by Andrew Nash, Bill Duane, Derek Brink, Celia Joseph
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (27 March, 2001)
list price: $49.99
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Editorial Review

While strong encryption methods exist that offer plenty of security for commercial-level protection, issues such as identification, authorization, and reliable issuance of digital signatures require a broader set of standards. Public key infrastructure (PKI) is just such a framework, addressing all of the issues for complete solutions.

Authored by four RSA Security experts in the field, PKI: Implementing and Managing E-Security aims to explain the vulnerabilities of encryption in today's Internet-based business universe and lay out how the application of PKI can help. The authors frankly point out the areas where PKI is still immature in the real world and try to inspire their readers with their zeal to solve the remaining problems.

The book begins with an exploration of cryptography and, in particular, public key cryptography--the accepted approach for most of today's security systems. The text moves quickly into precise security terminology but makes excellent use of creative diagrams to illustrate configurations and scenarios. These diagrams often beg a bit of reflection since they are frequently used to point out vulnerabilities that may not be immediately apparent.

The heart of the book examines the management of keys and certificates, authentication, and the establishment of trust models. There are overviews of current technologies that implement PKI, but the focus of the book is to encourage readers to construct their own fully compliant solutions.

PKI: Implementing and Managing E-Security is not light reading. However, it serves double duty as both an overview of the sticky issues of securing information delivery over the Net as well as a comprehensive look at the scope of PKI for those considering a full-fledged solution for their extranets and e-commerce sites. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, hashes and digital signatures, digital certificates, PKI basics, PKI services, key and certificate life cycles, PKIX, protocols and formatting standards, trust models, authentication methods, deployment and operation, and return on investment calculations. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good but
The writer uses his mother's peppermint pie as reference point to explain the intricacies of PKI, which he does well. But after a point it gets distracting and very boring. The explanations of PKI components such as CA, RA is very repetitive. The PKI protocol explanation is very difficult to understand hence shows that the author(s) did not understand the subject themselves. Also few sections and even diagrams have been lifted out of RFC documents directly. Which is very sad and not to speak against the norms of security which the book purports to protect!

Excellent overview of PKI
You can treat this as "the" book you need to read to understand different aspects of PKI to get a "big picture". Very good analogies to the things that you use in day-to-day life. It reads like fiction and will make you happy that you chose to read this.

Explains PKI at a level better than most other options
The author has a unique ability to explain PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) in a way that is detailed and clear.PKI is a very complex topic and requires a knowledge of many other fieds including technology and security to even begin.It is beyond the grasp of the average Internet user today.After reading many other PKI books and doing hours of research on the Internet regarding PKI, I had been able to piece together the processes and basics on PKI.But after only reading the first 2 chapters of this book, I felt I understood concepts better than any other source.

The only criticism I have is that the author uses too much levity in explaining his points.The jokes are not that funny but unfortunately they keep coming. ... Read more

Isbn: 0072131233
Subjects:  1. Business Enterprise    2. Computer Bks - Internet    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Data Security    5. Computer networks    6. Computers    7. Electronic Commerce    8. General    9. Internet - Security    10. Public key infrastructure (Com    11. Public key infrastructure (Computer security)    12. Security    13. Security measures   

Planning for PKI: Best Practices Guide for Deploying Public Key Infrastructure
by RussHousley, TimPolk, Russ Housley, Tim Polk
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (13 March, 2001)
list price: $65.00 -- our price: $65.00
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Reviews (13)

Very useful guide to PKI.
If you have just started working with PKI software or with OpenSSL and would like to gain a better understanding of X.509 certificates, certificate enrollment protocols and PKI, this book is for you. It's an excellent guide written by two of the co-authors of the "Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure: Certificate and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile" (RFC 3280).

planning for PKI
I was expecting something which is more practical with regards to PKI. Author talks about theory of PKI in half the book. And then provides case studies which has very low utility if you are thinking of implementing PKI in J2EE or .NET or even ordinary ecommerce applications...The title is totally a misnomer. Only good thing i found was that the theory presented was helpful to understand PKI...

What a great read
WOW, this goes into some great detail.I am new to PKI, but this has really opened up my eyes to some of the more exquisite details.Great for anyone interested in PKI, but you do need to have some knowledge on Cryptography. ... Read more

Isbn: 0471397024
Sales Rank: 246585
Subjects:  1. Business Enterprise    2. Business enterprises    3. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Data Security    6. Computer networks    7. Computer security    8. Computers    9. Electronic Commerce    10. General    11. Internet - Security    12. Networking - General    13. Security    14. Security measures    15. Computers / Networking / General    16. Data security & data encryption    17. Network security   

Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice (2nd Edition)
by William Stallings
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (15 July, 1998)
list price: $81.00
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Reviews (10)

Excellent
Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice by Stallings is a very good book on crypto.

It is not as detailed as Schneier's Applied Cryptography, but is still a great book.

Meat and Potatoes
This review is for the 3rd edition -
I'm not a cryptographer by any means.I've owned Applied Cryptography(AC) for 4 years.It's been quite helpful but leans farther into theory (not covered in it) than I was willing or able to research at the time.I often found myself needing to refer to other resources over the years.I purchased this book after thumbing through it a few times at the bookstore.I'm not one to run out and spend $80 on a book in haste.After a couple of collective hours in it at the store I bought it with the intention of returning it in the 30 allotted days for a full refund.That date comes tomorrow and I have no intention on returning it.

I would describe it as a self-contained reference.It covers cryptography principles and practices as the title implies.When discussing the algorithms it covers them with roughly the same notation and detail as AC.However, I found the explained examples to be clearer.When I found myself getting lost I took the text's advice and referred to the chapters on mathematics and number theory.Not only did it clear the fog it also bit me with the math bug.Leading me to buy another great book, Prime Obsession (nothing to do with crypto).I should mention that this book is void of code.I didn't find this to be a problem because if I'm not using a crypto lib I usually have to implement the crypto code from scratch.With the knowledge presented in this book I can do it better.FYI: The OpenSSL lib offers a bunch of implemented algorithims.

Surprised that the reviews are posted just to confuse
I am looking at the previous reviews and am really surprised that the book has been published in Aug 2002 (just recently) and the earlier reviews show that they were posted in year 2000 and 2001. It is just confusing the readers because they are not the real reviews. I have not gone through the book, so I don't know how good or bad it is, but at least I know that the reviews are not real. If the reviews are for the earlier editions, then they should be posted under those editions, which anyway have a different ISBN number. Really disappointed.
Unfortunately, I have to put some rating for the book, as in the submission form it is a mandatory field. Hence, I have to put some rating for my submission to go through. I am just putting an average rating, but please ignore my evaluation, as I have not even seen the book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0138690170
Sales Rank: 427392
Subjects:  1. Coding Theory    2. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer networks    5. Computers    6. Cryptography/Access Control    7. Data encryption (Computer science)    8. Networking - General    9. Security    10. Security measures   

UNIX System Security Tools
by Seth T. Ross
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (13 September, 1999)
list price: $39.99 -- our price: $39.99
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Reviews (1)

Not bad, not bad at all...
I read this book and i thought it gave a very good explaination of how unix/linux variants work.The language that it used to explain technical things was very well done using lots of lay man's terms.I think thatoverall this book was really good and the CD that it came with was jampacked with lots of goodies! ... Read more

Isbn: 0079137881
Sales Rank: 500740
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Operating Systems    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computer Data Security    4. Computer security    5. Computers    6. Operating Systems - General    7. Operating Systems - UNIX    8. Security    9. UNIX (Computer file)   

IPv6: The New Internet Protocol (2nd Edition)
by Christian Huitema
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 January, 1998)
list price: $39.99 -- our price: $39.99
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Reviews (6)

A good book, though out of date.
This is a good book written by someone who really knows the material.

The book *is* somewhat out of date - a three years old book on a developing protocol cant be current [and it's my expectation that a newedition would be printed soon], but it's a very good way to get the bigpicture about it before starting to read the fine details in the RFCs.

Asother reviewers wrote, the comparison between IPv4 and IPv6 is a littlelacking, but this book is *not* intended to be read as one's first text onIP - it's audience is people who are already familiar with IPv4.

good overall review
IPv6 is still going thru some changes.While the book is not as up to date as I would like it to be, it does a pretty good job of explaining what is (was) different from IPv4 and the why of it. As for comparisons to IPv4,they can be found throughout different sections of the book, tho not indetail. Overall, a good guide to IPng w/ good explainations.

quite outdated
OK intro for technical readers, but there is a lot here that is completely out of date since the book was written in 1997. Lots of new and revised standards have been published since then. ... Read more

Isbn: 0138505055
Sales Rank: 665187
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Internet    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Networks    4. Computers    5. Data Transmission Standards And Protocols    6. Internet    7. Internet - General    8. Networking - General    9. Networking - Network Protocols    10. TCP/IP (Computer network protocol)   

Ipsec: The New Security Standard for the Inter- net, Intranets, and Virtual Private Networks
by Naganand Doraswamy, Dan Harkins
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (26 July, 1999)
list price: $44.99
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Editorial Review

IPSec, the suite of protocols for securing any sort of traffic that moves over an Internet Protocol (IP) network, promises big things for online business. IPSec: The New Security Standard for the Internet, Intranets, and Virtual Private Networks catalogs the specifications that compose this suite and explain how they fit into intranets, virtual private networks (VPNs), and the Internet.

Authors Doraswamy and Harkins first treat IPSec as a system, explaining how its component parts work together to provide flexible security. Their approach to this task makes sense: They first explain why standard IP packets aren't secure; then they show how the IPSec improvements make secure transactions possible. Readers get full descriptions of how various network entities talk to one another. Where appropriate, concepts that aren't specific to IPSec are explained, including IPv4 and IPv6 packet structures and addressing schemes. There's some information on cryptography too.

IPSec's parts are explained individually: the Authentication Header (AH), Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP), Internet Key Exchange (IKE), and ISAKMP/Oakley protocols are detailed with lots of prose, supplemented with a smattering of packet diagrams and conceptual sketches. Sections on implementing IPSec protocols on networks remain fairly abstract and don't mention actual products, but should prove useful to programmers designing their own network security products around the IPSec specifications. --David Wall ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Not much more useful than the RFCs
I looked at this book when I was just starting out working on IPsec. I had read the RFCs once but felt I needed a good book since the IPsec protocol is pretty complex and the RFCs are not very well written. I did not buy this book but scanned it thoroughly in a bookstore. The book seems to repeat what the IPsec RFCs say without adding more to it. There are very few figures in the book to explain the concepts. I ended up buying "Demystifying the IPsec Puzzle" by Sheila Frankel which is a much better book.

A good book for IPSec beginners and refreshers
Before reading this book I think it is good if you have a basic understanding of IPSec topics and terms. In any case, the book explains quite well the basic principles of IPSec and the associated things such as hashing and encryption algorithms (doesn't go too much into details on these ones though...)
The chapter where I lost the thread was ISAKMP and IKE.
Maybe it's me, but I think this was pretty confusing way of explaining it.
Although most likely not the only book I would read about IPSec - it is certainly a good book as introduction into IPSec and many things are explained very well which I didn't find in some other books.

BS
This book is a hardbound POC. The authors don't know the hell they are talking about. All the high level talks are good for nothing. ... Read more

Isbn: 0130118982
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Internet    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Data Security    4. Computers    5. IPSec (Computer network protocol)    6. Internet    7. Internet - Security    8. Intranets (Computer networks)    9. Networking - General    10. Security    11. Security measures   

Defending Your Digital Assets Against Hackers, Crackers, Spies, and Thieves
by Randall K. Nichols, Daniel J. Ryan, Julie J. C. H. Ryan, Julie J.C.H. Ryan
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (05 January, 2000)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $49.99
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Editorial Review

Computer security holds a unique position among information technology disciplines. Because threats to systems are so numerous and varied, you can spend years studying them (and general strategies for counteracting them) before you start to work with specific security tools. Defending Your Digital Assets Against Hackers, Crackers, Spies and Thieves is a guide to computer security that remains one step back from security software itself. In place of specific how-to information, readers learn about the motives of online attackers and the strategies they use to gain unauthorized access to systems and data, plus overarching concepts like public-key cryptography. They also find out about defensive and forensic strategies for preventing attacks and limiting their potency when they occur.

The authors of this book--a cryptographer, a couple of mathematicians, and a handful of others--employ a very text-heavy presentation style that's best suited to attentive study. The prose tends to be dense and a bit academic, and certain conceptual diagrams approach inscrutability. Still, security is a complicated matter, and a simplistic treatment wouldn't be as useful. It's possible to scan the index for a topic that interests you--keystroke biometrics, say--and find a definition and a statement of pros and cons. You'll also find endnote references to more specialized works but little mention of software products that implement the ideas the authors explain. --David Wall

Topics covered: Computer and network security, including risk management, security policy, cryptography, access control, authentication, biometrics, actions to be taken during an attack, and case studies of hacking and information warfare. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Well Worth The Effort
I am a relative newcomer to the security field. I have been adding books to my library to help me in my job.I picked up Defending your Digital Assets and was pleasantly surprised. The sections on Security Verificationof Systems and Networks and Cryptography were a rare read, and veryenjoyable.

I also found the chapter on Biometric Countermeasures one ofthe clearest presentations on the subject, that I have found inprint.

The authors clearly understand the INFOSEC field and their writingshows it. They make difficult concepts interesting. Too many books on thissubject read like swiss cheese or with too much useless detail. Defendingis the exception. I liked it. I recommend it.

Too long, too general
This book does not live up to its title and subtitle.Very general material. For example, Denial of Service Attacks are in the news these days.Looking through the index, I find four references to DOS attacks.The first on page 45 tells me that DOS attacks can be costly.The secondon page 85 describes some previous DOS attacks, including one that tookplace 12 years ago.The next reference is on page 304 and is a historicaldescription of DOS attacks over the past three years.The last referenceon page 452 tells me that I should conduct DOS testing for my web server. Most of the book's content is similar.If this is useful to you, pleasebuy this book.For specific help in hardening your network, please lookelsewhere.

An Excellent Guide to Computer Security
As a neophyte I am tangentially aware of the importance of computer security, but reading "Defending Your Digital Assets" really brought the message home. As our world becomes more "wired", andour reliance on the information we receive through computersincreasesexponentially, the importance of computer security cannot beoverstated.

This book is very approachable for the layperson and is anexcellent primer for computer/information security overall. It was the onlybook I could find that that covered the topic so completely.

In addition,the book is very readable. The authors did a very commendable job inwriting the book, i.e., it doesn't read like a text book.

Also, the bookoffers a large number of references/resources the reader can refer to forfurther study...as well as a glossary and a thorough appendix.

In sum, ifyou have a scintilla of interest in computer security, pick up this book.If you're a manager and concerned with computer security in yourorganization, pick up this book. If you are a student, pick up this book.In fact, if you use a computer at all, you should get this book.

Thebetter informed we are, the harder it will be for hackers and crackers towreak havoc on our computer systems and the information we rely on.

Thankyou --Sean ... Read more

Isbn: 0072122854
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Crime    4. Computer crimes    5. Computer security    6. Computers    7. Cryptography    8. Data encryption (Computer scie    9. Data encryption (Computer science)    10. Security    11. United States   

Cybershock: Surviving Hackers, Phreakers, Identity Thieves, Internet Terrorists and Weapons of Mass Disruption
by Winn Schwartau
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (15 May, 2000)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $24.95
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Reviews (20)

Worse book on the subject
This is quite possibly the worse book I ever read on the subject. The author has a tendency to make unqualified statements with no supportive evidence. He thinks Hong Kong is an ".... emerging country around the Far East, having problems with software piracy. (Where have you been for the last 50 yrs ? Australia has a software piracy rates on par to Hong Kong. The highest is in Thailand and Vietnam.) He thinks when you start a web browser, and a small program running in the background, it is written in a "new" computer language called JAVA. Not knowing that JavaScirpt and JAVA has nothing in common, but share a name. He is not sure whether to called hacker as "immature bastards" with no real skills, or to take the high road and suggest that talented individuals like them should be nutured, and jail sentences should be reserved for murderers - so he did both.
The author has the hallmark of a typical sales/marketing/management type, knowing all the buzz words: risk management, business contingency plan, ..etc. CEO loves it, but can he tell the different between PPTP and IPSec ? and why should you use one and not the other ? I started questioning his credential after reading three chapters. If you want a better introduction to the subject, try Personal Firewalls by Lisa Yeo, Firewalls and Internet Security by Cheswick and Bellovin or Hacker's Challenge by Schiffman. Luckily, I only paid $4 for this paper weight.

Interesting Stuff
This book is a good explanation of hackers of all varieties, their techniques, and what ordinary people and businesses can do to protect against them. In a usually-even-tempered voice, Mr. Schwartau tackles common misconceptions and explains what hackers really are and what threats we should really be worrying about. He has had a reputation of being a Chicken Little with regard to hacking, but at least a respected Chicken Little. None of this is real knock-your-socks-off stuff. But it's good in an enjoyable sort of a way.

A Hacker's Thoughts on cyberSecurity
Speaking as someone who once spent three months behind bars for computer hacking, I can vouch for the authenticity of this book. It should scare you right out of your socks.

And it's not the technical details that should scare you, though there's enough of that. It's the simple "social engineering" that can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. A good hacker doesn't need to touch a computer - he just picks his target, gains a bit of information and uses others to do the dirty work, all unsuspecting. By the time you work out you are under attack, someone has taken out a second mortgage on your home, cashed in your life insurance, raided your credit cards and had a hell of a good time at your expense.

Here are case studies to demonstrate it. people driven to bankruptcy, despair and suicide.

Get a firewall on your computer right NOW. And do all the other things this book advises.

Otherwise you are a mug.

Don't figure it won't happen to you - if you are at all active in cyberspace, then you are leaving footprints behind that can be picked up and exploited by a hacker looking for his next target.

Buy this book - it will be the best handful of dollars you ever spent. ... Read more

Isbn: 1560252464
Sales Rank: 518750
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Data Security    4. Computer crimes    5. Computer hackers    6. Computer security    7. Computers    8. Internet - Security    9. Security   

Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government--Saving Privacy in the Digital Age
by StevenLevy
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (04 January, 2001)
list price: $25.95
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Editorial Review

If the National Security Agency (NSA) had wanted to make sure thatstrong encryption would reach the masses, it couldn't have done much better thanto tell the cranky geniuses of the world not to do it. Author Steven Levy,deservedly famous for his enlightening Hackers, tells the story of thecypherpunks, their foes, and their allies in Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beatthe Government. From the determined research of Whitfield Diffie and MartyHellman, in the face of the NSA's decades-old security lock, to the commercialworld's turn-of-the-century embrace of encrypted e-commerce, Levy finds dramaand intellectual challenge everywhere he looks. Although he writes, "Behindevery great cryptographer, it seems, there is a driving pathology," his respectfor the mathematicians and programmers who spearheaded public key encryption asthe solution to Information Age privacy invasion shines throughout. Even thegovernmental bad guys are presented more as hapless control fetishists who lackthe prescience to see the inevitability of strong encryption as more than aconspiracy of evil.

Each cryptological advance that was made outside the confines of the NSA's FortMeade complex was met with increasing legislative and judicial resistance.Levy's storytelling acumen tugs the reader along through mathematical and legalhassles that would stop most narratives in their tracks--his words make even thedepressingly silly Clipper chip fiasco vibrant. Hardcore privacy nerds willvalue Crypto as a review of 30 years of wrangling; those readers withless familiarity with the subject will find it a terrific and well-documentedlaunching pad for further research. From notables like Phil Zimmerman to obscurebut important figures like James Ellis, Crypto dishes the dirt on folkswho know how to keep a secret. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (34)

Well-researched account
Light-hearted by nature, Steven Levy gives everything the proper treatment in an often amusing way without being irreverent, and he becomes serious where warranted.

This book presents a balanced perspective from both sides: privacy advocates who do not necessarily trust the government, and government authorities terrified of losing their precious wiretaps and other snooping capabilities. The actions of a few self-righteous, overzealous mavericks on both sides are recounted.

Examples of successful U.S. government eavesdropping are mentioned; for instance, it was monitoring that revealed that the Libyans were the bombers of Pan Am flight 103. There is example after example of how the antiquated, rigid NSA position that "crypto is munitions" stifled the ascendant American software industry in the 1990's by restricting exports, giving foreign competitors the edge, while the rest of the world already had strong crypto anyway! Asinine inconsistencies in the old export restrictions are cited. The players of the NSA, NIST, and Congress are named and events, from assembly bills to telling conversations, are recounted. I think most crypto enthusiasts will find this recap informative. It certainly filled in a lot of gaps for me!

The book does not pretend to be a primer on cryptography. Levy does his usual admirable job of reaching out to the masses with lay explanations and clever analogies, but this being specialized math, it will at times go over the heads of some readers. Levy has a good sense of how far to take a technical explanation before dropping it; he doesn't go around the bend. Historical cryptographic systems recounted in David Kahn's tome "The Codebreakers" are now passé, not just because computers do it faster, but also due to relatively recent mathematical discoveries. The chronology of those discoveries is told along with the human stories behind them --of those who yearned to understand the art of secret writing and came to realize that it boils down to hard adversarial mathematics.

The human story throughout is one of unassuming, unlikely geniuses whose discoveries got no immediate fanfare, rather taking decades to catch on. Today (ironically now that the patents have expired) those discoveries are in use every day by most people using the Internet, a cellular phone, or any other wireless device.

The book is at times dull. To me, the accounts of legislative machinations were slow-going but I don't see how they could be made more interesting.

Jim Bidzos is finally vindicated as a real hero of the crypto revolution (after being portrayed in a bad light in a book on PGP). Diffie/Hellman/Merkle, the Cypherpunks, anonymous remailers, Julf Helsingius and Penet, David Chaum and digital cash protocols, court decisions, the Clipper chip --it's all here.

Did government spooks discover public key crypto first, in secret? The book ends with the interesting and hitherto unknown story of James H. Ellis of the General Communications HQ, the British cousin of the NSA.

An index, a small glossary, and an appendix of references are included. Well done!

I suck at math.
But Levy had me hooked by the first chapter. I could not help but care about the characters he portrayed and their plight against the American government. A hectic pace drags you through the book, knowing that their discovery has to be in time to save all of our privacy. If you can't find yourself caring about that then this is not the book for you.

The highest course I've ever taken is pre-calc and I never use higher math in my daily life. So, I have to attribute my fanaticism to this book on Levy's writing and the power of the story itself. Also, the ideas are so well articulated that even a moron like me can pick up on most of the theory (albeit in a simplistic form).

I would recommend this to any one who has ever fought the establishment or anyone that has ever wanted to.

I hate math!
But Levy had me hooked by the first chapter. I could not help but care about the characters he portrayed and their plight against the American government. A hectic pace drags you through the book, knowing that their discovery has to be in time to save all of our privacy. If you can't find yourself caring about that then this is not the book for you.

The highest course I've ever taken is pre-calc and I never use higher math in my daily life. So, I have to attribute my fanaticism to this book on Levy's writing and the power of the story itself. Also, the ideas are so well articulated that even a moron like me can pick up on most of the theory (albeit in a simplistic form).

I would recommend this to any one who has ever fought the establishment or anyone that has ever wanted to.
... Read more

Isbn: 0670859508
Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - General Information    2. Computer security    3. Cryptography    4. Cryptography/Access Control    5. General    6. Internet - Security    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Security    9. Social Aspects    10. Technology    11. Computers / General   

Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society: Kenneth W. Dam and Herbert S. Lin, Editors
by National Research Council, Kenneth W. Dam, Herbert S. Lin, Herbert Lin
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (01 October, 1996)
list price: $44.95 -- our price: $32.56
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Reviews (3)

Essential, but with two flaws
This book, prepared by the Committee to Study National Cryptography Policy of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council, is essential reading for anybody concerned with the role of crytography in information security. Written by experts, it surveys the topic dispassionately, and makes wise recommendations. No technical knowledge is required to read it, so it is suitable for everyone from policymakers to techies.

It has two flaws, one minor and inevitable, the other more serious. The first stems from the fact that the National Research Council undertakes studies like this only at the request of the US government. The federal government is notorious for its belief that anything worth saying should be said in the dullest possible bureaucratese. I know the staff members who produced the actual text of this book; they are excellent writers, and did their best to make the book readable within the constraints imposed by government mindset, but it's still dull and tedious to read. Compared to the Federal Register, however, it's a model of expository clarity.

The second flaw is the very cursory treatment given to one of the most serious problems in using cryptography for information security. The great majority of civilian computers, and even some military computers, are vulnerable to a wide variety of viruses, worms and trojan horses, and in most cases the users and system administrators are unaware of how vulnerable they are.

Cryptography is completely useless as a protective mechanism if cleartext or keys can be retrieved and transmitted from an originating or destination computer by a program inserted by an attacker. Equally serious, if the attacker substitutes trojan horse code for the encipherment/decipherment techniques employed, the whole system is wide open. I regard this as the current greatest weakness in the use of cryptography for information security, except within certain parts of the military. I dn't have any good ideas at all about how to plug this weakness, but it deserves much more careful attention than it gets in this book. If you are responsible for any aspect of computer or communications security, think hard about this problem.

Not obsolete yet
Excellent overview of social & organizational issues that affect use of encryption.Some of the material is becoming quickly dated, but the chapters on "Roles, Market & Infrastructure," "CryptoPrimer," "Public Key Infrastructure," and"[Applicability of Encryption by] Industry" will be useful foryears.

A valuable reference.
A thorough, and unbiased inquiry, commissioned by congress, of the importance of cryptography to the information economy. Still highly useful, despite being increasingly dated. ... Read more

Isbn: 0309054753
Sales Rank: 1279937
Subjects:  1. Cryptography    2. Cryptography/Access Control    3. Government policy    4. Politics - Current Events    5. Public Policy - General    6. Reference    7. Security    8. Security measures    9. Telecommunication systems    10. United States   

Implementing Elliptic Curve Cryptography
by Michael Rosing
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 October, 1998)
list price: $47.95 -- our price: $32.61
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Reviews (9)

Lack of clarity.Hard to read and follow.
Unfortunately the book is written without clarity. The author needs to write better to communicate with his reader more clearly.

Good for engineers, as the title says
The book allowed me to gain fair understanding of ECC principles in a matter of hours. It would be difficult to understand without having taken a previous course in cryptography, but if you already have some idea of numbers theory, and you need to get a quick feel of ECC this would be a good place to start. The continued focus on implementation is important to me (being someone who would eventually have to do it). I would add a summary to each section, describing what EXACTLY needs to be done for each operation - less words, more math.

Full of good, helpful information
This book is the first I have read on elliptic curves that actually attempts to explain just how they are used in cryptography from a practical standpoint. It does not attempt to prove the many interesting properties of elliptic curves but instead concentrates on the computer code that one might use to put in place an elliptic curve cryptosystem. The code the author admits could be done in many other ways, but the one he chose I think does its job in instructing the reader just how to implement elliptic curves in cryptography. Indeed, his implementation of large integer math routines is very clear and points out the difference in using a (high level) language like C versus doing the same in Assembly. The only minus to the book from a didactic standpoint are the subroutine schematics that permeate the book. These could have been omitted without any serious damage to understanding what is going on.Readers who need a more rigorous introduction to the mathematics can go to the (immense) literature on elliptic curves. A fine book, and definitely worth reading to gain a practial understanding of elliptic curve cryptosystems. ... Read more

Isbn: 1884777694
Sales Rank: 543091
Subjects:  1. Algorithms (Computer Programming)    2. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer security    5. Computers    6. Cryptography/Access Control    7. Curves, Elliptic    8. Data encryption (Computer scie    9. Data encryption (Computer science)    10. Data processing    11. Security