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Very Short Introductions #068
毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇: 賲賯丿賲丞 賯氐賷乇丞 噩丿丕
ISBN13: 9789777195225
賷購丨賷胤 亘賳丕 毓賱賲購 丕賱鬲賻賾卮賿賮賷乇 賲賳 賰賱賽賾 噩丕賳亘貙 亘丿丕賷丞賸 賲賳 賲丕賰賷賳丕鬲 丕賱氐乇賻賾丕賮 丕賱丌賱賷 賵丕賱賴賵丕鬲賮 丕賱賲丨賲賵賱丞 賵丕賱廿賳鬲乇賳鬲貙 賵賲乇賵乇賸丕 亘賳購馗購賲 丕賱兀賲賳 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丨賲賷 丕賱兀爻乇丕乇賻 賮賷 兀賲丕賰賳 丕賱毓賲賱貙 賵丕賳鬲賴丕亍賸 亘丕賱卮賮乇丕鬲 丕賱賲丿賳賷丞 賵丕賱毓爻賰乇賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丨賲賷 爻賲丕亍賻賳丕.
賵賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱賲賯丿賲丞 丕賱乇丕卅毓丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賻爻賿亘購乇 兀睾賵丕乇賻 胤亘賷毓丞賽 毓賲賱 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇貙 賷購賵賻囟賽賾丨 賮乇賷丿 亘丕賷亘乇 賵卮賵賳 賲賷乇賮賷 丕賱鬲兀孬賷乇賻 丕賱賲購鬲賻睾賻賱賿睾賽賱 賱毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 毓賱賶 賲噩鬲賲毓賳丕 丕賱賲毓丕氐乇貙 賵賷賰卮賮丕賳 丕賱賳賯丕亘賻 毓賳 禺亘丕賷丕 賮賳 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇貙 賲毓 鬲爻賱賷胤 丕賱囟賵亍 毓賱賶 丕賱兀賴賲賷丞 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 賵丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞貙 賵丕賱毓賲賱賷丞 兀賷囟賸丕貙 賱丨賲丕賷丞 丕賱亘賷丕賳丕鬲 賵丕賱鬲丨賯購賾賯 賲賳賴丕 賮賷 毓丕賱賲賳丕 丕賱賲毓丕氐乇.
賷購丨賷胤 亘賳丕 毓賱賲購 丕賱鬲賻賾卮賿賮賷乇 賲賳 賰賱賽賾 噩丕賳亘貙 亘丿丕賷丞賸 賲賳 賲丕賰賷賳丕鬲 丕賱氐乇賻賾丕賮 丕賱丌賱賷 賵丕賱賴賵丕鬲賮 丕賱賲丨賲賵賱丞 賵丕賱廿賳鬲乇賳鬲貙 賵賲乇賵乇賸丕 亘賳購馗購賲 丕賱兀賲賳 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丨賲賷 丕賱兀爻乇丕乇賻 賮賷 兀賲丕賰賳 丕賱毓賲賱貙 賵丕賳鬲賴丕亍賸 亘丕賱卮賮乇丕鬲 丕賱賲丿賳賷丞 賵丕賱毓爻賰乇賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲丨賲賷 爻賲丕亍賻賳丕.
賵賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱賲賯丿賲丞 丕賱乇丕卅毓丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賻爻賿亘購乇 兀睾賵丕乇賻 胤亘賷毓丞賽 毓賲賱 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇貙 賷購賵賻囟賽賾丨 賮乇賷丿 亘丕賷亘乇 賵卮賵賳 賲賷乇賮賷 丕賱鬲兀孬賷乇賻 丕賱賲購鬲賻睾賻賱賿睾賽賱 賱毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 毓賱賶 賲噩鬲賲毓賳丕 丕賱賲毓丕氐乇貙 賵賷賰卮賮丕賳 丕賱賳賯丕亘賻 毓賳 禺亘丕賷丕 賮賳 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇貙 賲毓 鬲爻賱賷胤 丕賱囟賵亍 毓賱賶 丕賱兀賴賲賷丞 丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 賵丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞貙 賵丕賱毓賲賱賷丞 兀賷囟賸丕貙 賱丨賲丕賷丞 丕賱亘賷丕賳丕鬲 賵丕賱鬲丨賯購賾賯 賲賳賴丕 賮賷 毓丕賱賲賳丕 丕賱賲毓丕氐乇.
144 pages, ebook
First published May 30, 2002
94 people are currently reading
1476 people want to read
About the author
Fred C. Piper
5听books5听followersProfessor Fred Piper was appointed Professor of Mathematics at the University of London in 1975 and has worked in information security since 1979. In 1985, he formed a company, Codes & Ciphers Ltd, which offers consultancy advice in all aspects of information security. He has acted as a consultant to over 80 companies including a number of financial institutions and major industrial companies in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa and the USA.
The consultancy work has been varied and has included algorithm design and analysis, work on EFTPOS and ATM networks, data systems, security audits, risk analysis and the formulation of security policies. He has lectured worldwide on information security, both academically and commercially, has published more than 100 papers and is joint author of Cipher Systems (1982), one of the first books to be published on the subject of protection of communications, Secure Speech Communications (1985), Digital Signatures - Security & Controls (1999) and Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction (2002).
Fred has been a member of a number of DTI advisory groups. He has also served on a number of Foresight Crime Prevention Panels and task forces concerned with fraud control, security and privacy. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for Bletchley Park and the Board of the Institute of Information Security professionals. He is also a member of (ISC)2's European Advisory Board, the steering group of the DTI's Cyber Security KTN, ISSA's advisory panel and the BCS's Information Security Forum.
In 2002, he was awarded an IMA Gold Medal for "services to mathematics" and received an honorary CISSP for "leadership in Information Security". In 2003, Fred received an honorary CISM for "globally recognised leadership" and "contribution to the Information Security Profession".
In 2005 he was elected to the ISSA Hall of Fame. He was named Professional of the Year at the Communications in Business Awards 2005. In 2008 he was elected to be a Fellow of (ISC)2. In 2008 he was the first person to be elected to the InfoSecurity Europe Hall of Fame. In 2008 he was elected to the International Advisory Board of IMPACT (the International Multilateral Programme Against Cyber Threats).
The consultancy work has been varied and has included algorithm design and analysis, work on EFTPOS and ATM networks, data systems, security audits, risk analysis and the formulation of security policies. He has lectured worldwide on information security, both academically and commercially, has published more than 100 papers and is joint author of Cipher Systems (1982), one of the first books to be published on the subject of protection of communications, Secure Speech Communications (1985), Digital Signatures - Security & Controls (1999) and Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction (2002).
Fred has been a member of a number of DTI advisory groups. He has also served on a number of Foresight Crime Prevention Panels and task forces concerned with fraud control, security and privacy. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for Bletchley Park and the Board of the Institute of Information Security professionals. He is also a member of (ISC)2's European Advisory Board, the steering group of the DTI's Cyber Security KTN, ISSA's advisory panel and the BCS's Information Security Forum.
In 2002, he was awarded an IMA Gold Medal for "services to mathematics" and received an honorary CISSP for "leadership in Information Security". In 2003, Fred received an honorary CISM for "globally recognised leadership" and "contribution to the Information Security Profession".
In 2005 he was elected to the ISSA Hall of Fame. He was named Professional of the Year at the Communications in Business Awards 2005. In 2008 he was elected to be a Fellow of (ISC)2. In 2008 he was the first person to be elected to the InfoSecurity Europe Hall of Fame. In 2008 he was elected to the International Advisory Board of IMPACT (the International Multilateral Programme Against Cyber Threats).
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 45 reviews
July 2, 2016
I'll get to straight to the point. This book isn't really for beginners or laymen. The first couple chapters were illuminating, interesting, and understandable. But if you've never had any exposure to cryptography (especially the technical terms and acronyms/abbreviations), the last half of this book will be completely unintelligible to you. I was disappointed.
I'll start with the good stuff though. The basics of cryptography as well as the descriptions and explanations of various ciphers throughout history were really well explained and interesting. And the explanation of binary calculations at the beginning of the book was excellent too! At the very end of the book, there are some notes of resources (including websites) for furthers reading. That's cool too.
My main complaint is that things started to get complicated after the third chapter, and each acronym is defined exactly once. All the abbreviations seemed to be introduced at the same time. It was overwhelming. So I still understand nothing about cryptography and its algorithms as they're used practically today. I consider myself a persistent, thoughtful reader, and I have a light computer science background, but I couldn't make sense of hardly anything after the descriptions of basic ciphers.
I think this book is best for people with a strong computer science background who already know a thing or two about security. If you're completely new to cryptography and cyber security, you can still enjoy parts of this book, but it isn't an all-around good introduction.
What I got out of this book:
*Cryptography isn't about keeping outsiders from getting sensitive info, it's about making sure they can't understand what they see.
*The goal isn't always to make a system as secure as possible - just "secure enough".
*"Perfect secrecy" is when the number of messages and chances of guessing correctly are equal (the number of messages and number of keys are equal).
*Prime numbers are important in contemporary cyber security.
*An understanding of basic ciphers (e.g. the Caesar Cipher, homophonic coding, polyalphabetic coding, the Vernam Cipher)
*An understanding of binary calculations
I'll start with the good stuff though. The basics of cryptography as well as the descriptions and explanations of various ciphers throughout history were really well explained and interesting. And the explanation of binary calculations at the beginning of the book was excellent too! At the very end of the book, there are some notes of resources (including websites) for furthers reading. That's cool too.
My main complaint is that things started to get complicated after the third chapter, and each acronym is defined exactly once. All the abbreviations seemed to be introduced at the same time. It was overwhelming. So I still understand nothing about cryptography and its algorithms as they're used practically today. I consider myself a persistent, thoughtful reader, and I have a light computer science background, but I couldn't make sense of hardly anything after the descriptions of basic ciphers.
I think this book is best for people with a strong computer science background who already know a thing or two about security. If you're completely new to cryptography and cyber security, you can still enjoy parts of this book, but it isn't an all-around good introduction.
What I got out of this book:
*Cryptography isn't about keeping outsiders from getting sensitive info, it's about making sure they can't understand what they see.
*The goal isn't always to make a system as secure as possible - just "secure enough".
*"Perfect secrecy" is when the number of messages and chances of guessing correctly are equal (the number of messages and number of keys are equal).
*Prime numbers are important in contemporary cyber security.
*An understanding of basic ciphers (e.g. the Caesar Cipher, homophonic coding, polyalphabetic coding, the Vernam Cipher)
*An understanding of binary calculations
September 18, 2024
I liked what was there, but I think book is 20+ years old and it definitely probably needs to be updated to account for us closing in on quantum computing, cryptocurrency, AI, etc. So good (4 stars) minus 1 star for age and lack of update. Still no regrets, it gave a nice survey of cryptography from a few decades back.
February 25, 2019
Description: This book is a clear and informative introduction to cryptography and data protection--subjects of considerable social and political importance. It explains what algorithms do, how they are used, the risks associated with using them, and why governments should be concerned. Important areas are highlighted, such as Stream Ciphers, block ciphers, public key algorithms, digital signatures, and applications such as e-commerce. This book highlights the explosive impact of cryptography on modern society, with, for example, the evolution of the internet and the introduction of more sophisticated banking methods.
May 12, 2016
Was expecting this to be dry - was in fact quite good. Very practical as well - in the age of the internet, it pays to know how your information is being kept safe. The book is based on a university course aimed at trainee IT professionals, although it is getting to be out of date (2002).
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Understanding cryptography
Chapter 3: Historical algorithms: simple examples
Chapter 4: Unbreakable ciphers?
Chapter 5: Modern algorithms
Chapter 6: Practical security
Chapter 7: Uses of cryptography
Chapter 8: Key management
Chapter 9: Cryptography in everyday life
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Understanding cryptography
Chapter 3: Historical algorithms: simple examples
Chapter 4: Unbreakable ciphers?
Chapter 5: Modern algorithms
Chapter 6: Practical security
Chapter 7: Uses of cryptography
Chapter 8: Key management
Chapter 9: Cryptography in everyday life
May 30, 2016
丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賯丿賷賲 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱丨乇賵亘貙 賮賯丿 丕爻鬲禺丿賲鬲賴 賲丕乇賷 賲賱賰丞 丕爻賰鬲賱賳丿丕 賱亘毓孬 乇爻丕卅賱 賱兀賳氐丕乇賴丕 賮賷 丕賱賯乇賳 丕賱佟佴 賱賱鬲丨囟賷乇 賱丕睾鬲賷丕賱 丕賱賲賱賰丞 廿賱賷夭丕亘賷孬 賵廿夭丕丨鬲賴丕 賲賳 丕賱毓乇卮貙 賱賰賳 賮賰 丕賱卮賷賮乇丞 賰丕賳 賰賮賷賱丕賸 亘丕賱賮鬲賰 亘賴丕 賵亘賲禺胤胤丕鬲賴丕貙 賵賰匕賱賰 丕爻鬲禺丿賲鬲 丕賱賯賵丕鬲 丕賱兀賱賲丕賳賷丞 噩賴丕夭 廿賳噩賷賲丕 賱鬲卮賮賷乇 丕賱賲乇丕爻賱丕鬲 丕賱毓爻賰乇賷丞 賵丕賱鬲賷 賰丕賳鬲 鬲爻鬲禺丿賲 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 佟贍 兀爻 佗贍 賲賮鬲丕丨 賵賴賵 賲丕 賷夭賷丿 毓賱賶 丕賱禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丕鬲 丕賱丨丿賷孬丞貙 廿賱丕 廿賳 兀禺胤丕亍 丕賱賳馗丕賲 賲賰賳鬲 丕賱丨賱賮丕亍 賲賳 賮賰賴丕 賮丕禺鬲氐乇鬲 爻賳鬲賷賳 賲賳 賮鬲乇丞 丕賱丨乇亘 丕賱毓丕賱賲賷丞 賰賲丕 賷賯丕賱.
賱毓賱 兀賵賱 賲孬丕賱 毓賱賶 丕賱卮賷賮乇丕鬲 賴賵 賲丕 匕賰乇賴 賷賵賱賷賵爻 賯賷氐乇 賵賴賵 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 亘胤乇賷賯丞 丕賱廿夭丕丨丞貙 賮賰賱 丨乇賮 賷購賲孬賱 亘丕賱丨乇賮 丕賱孬丕賱孬 丕賱匕賷 賷兀鬲賷 亘毓丿賴 賮賷 丕賱鬲乇鬲賷亘 丕賱兀亘丨丿賷貙 賵賱賴匕賴 丕賱胤乇賷賯丞 鬲胤亘賷賯丕鬲 賰孬賷乇丞 賮賷 丕賱卮賷賮乇丕鬲貙 孬賲 鬲賱丕 匕賱賰 卮賷賮乇丕鬲 亘賱丕賷賮賷乇 賵 賮賷噩賳乇 賵睾賷乇賴丕.
賮賷 毓丕賱賲 丕賱禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丕鬲 丕賱丨丿賷孬丞 賵丕賱鬲賯賳賷丕鬲 丕賱賲毓賯丿丞 賮廿賳 毓丕賱賲 丕賱卮賷賮乇丕鬲 毓丕賱賲 卮賷賯 賱賱賲卮丕賴丿賷賳 賲賳 亘毓賷丿 賵 賲賳賴賰 賱賱匕賷賳 賷賯賵賲賵賳 亘賮賰 賵乇氐丿 賵丿乇丕爻丞 丕賱卮賷賮乇丕鬲 賲賳 賯乇賷亘.
賱毓賱 兀賵賱 賲孬丕賱 毓賱賶 丕賱卮賷賮乇丕鬲 賴賵 賲丕 匕賰乇賴 賷賵賱賷賵爻 賯賷氐乇 賵賴賵 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 亘胤乇賷賯丞 丕賱廿夭丕丨丞貙 賮賰賱 丨乇賮 賷購賲孬賱 亘丕賱丨乇賮 丕賱孬丕賱孬 丕賱匕賷 賷兀鬲賷 亘毓丿賴 賮賷 丕賱鬲乇鬲賷亘 丕賱兀亘丨丿賷貙 賵賱賴匕賴 丕賱胤乇賷賯丞 鬲胤亘賷賯丕鬲 賰孬賷乇丞 賮賷 丕賱卮賷賮乇丕鬲貙 孬賲 鬲賱丕 匕賱賰 卮賷賮乇丕鬲 亘賱丕賷賮賷乇 賵 賮賷噩賳乇 賵睾賷乇賴丕.
賮賷 毓丕賱賲 丕賱禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丕鬲 丕賱丨丿賷孬丞 賵丕賱鬲賯賳賷丕鬲 丕賱賲毓賯丿丞 賮廿賳 毓丕賱賲 丕賱卮賷賮乇丕鬲 毓丕賱賲 卮賷賯 賱賱賲卮丕賴丿賷賳 賲賳 亘毓賷丿 賵 賲賳賴賰 賱賱匕賷賳 賷賯賵賲賵賳 亘賮賰 賵乇氐丿 賵丿乇丕爻丞 丕賱卮賷賮乇丕鬲 賲賳 賯乇賷亘.
November 13, 2017
賯丿 兀毓鬲亘乇 廿鬲賲丕賲賷 賱賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賳 兀賴賲 廿賳噩丕夭丕鬲 2017 馃槀 丕賳丕 禺賱氐鬲 兀禺乇 氐賮丨丞 賵丕賳丕 賳賮爻賷 賲賯胤賵毓 賷毓賳賷 賵亘賳賴噩
丿賴 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 賷賰賵賳 賲賯丿賲丞 賯氐賷乇丞 噩丿丕 賱丕
賮 丕賵賱 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰賳鬲 丨丕爻丞 丕賳賷 卮亘丨 賵賮丕賴賲賴 賰賱 丨丕噩丞 貙 賱賰賳 賲乇丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賰賱 丕賱禺賷賵胤 賮賱鬲鬲 賲賳賷
賱賰賳 丕爻鬲毓賳鬲 亘丕賱毓賲 噩賵噩賱 賵賮賴賲鬲 亘毓囟 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 貙 賱匕丕 賷毓賳賷 賷賵賲丕 賲丕 賴乇噩毓 鬲丕賳賷 賱賱賰鬲丕亘 丿賴
4 賳噩賲丕鬲 賱丕賳賷 卮賷賮丕賴 毓馗賷賲 噩丿丕 貙 亘睾囟 丕賱賳馗乇 毓賳 丕賱鬲丿乇噩 賮 丕賱氐毓賵亘丞
賱賰賳 賴賵 賮鬲丨 賱賷 兀賮丕賯 噩丿賷丿丞 賮 鬲賮賰賷乇賷 賲賰賳鬲卮 丕毓乇賮 丕賳賴丕 賲賵噩賵丿丞!
丿賴 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 賷賰賵賳 賲賯丿賲丞 賯氐賷乇丞 噩丿丕 賱丕
賮 丕賵賱 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰賳鬲 丨丕爻丞 丕賳賷 卮亘丨 賵賮丕賴賲賴 賰賱 丨丕噩丞 貙 賱賰賳 賲乇丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賰賱 丕賱禺賷賵胤 賮賱鬲鬲 賲賳賷
賱賰賳 丕爻鬲毓賳鬲 亘丕賱毓賲 噩賵噩賱 賵賮賴賲鬲 亘毓囟 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 貙 賱匕丕 賷毓賳賷 賷賵賲丕 賲丕 賴乇噩毓 鬲丕賳賷 賱賱賰鬲丕亘 丿賴
4 賳噩賲丕鬲 賱丕賳賷 卮賷賮丕賴 毓馗賷賲 噩丿丕 貙 亘睾囟 丕賱賳馗乇 毓賳 丕賱鬲丿乇噩 賮 丕賱氐毓賵亘丞
賱賰賳 賴賵 賮鬲丨 賱賷 兀賮丕賯 噩丿賷丿丞 賮 鬲賮賰賷乇賷 賲賰賳鬲卮 丕毓乇賮 丕賳賴丕 賲賵噩賵丿丞!
April 21, 2018
This is an excellent and short introduction (155 pages!) into the world of Cryptography. Cryptography is the name of the science that concerns itself with secret coding (or encryption) of information to be protected from loss of confidentiality, integrity and authenticity. It is one the oldest sciences that nations and military used to concern themselves with as it is such a crucial and vital element of the war or even running governments.
To give you an example, breaking the Enigma cipher played a huge role in giving the Allied forces and the UK an upper hand in the war against Germany and it is believed it shortened the war by at least 2 years.
Lately, if you have not been keeping up with the news you would be very familiar with the NSA leaks by an ex-NSA employee named Edward Snowden. Security and privacy are becoming essential in the dawn of Mass Surveillance or the rise of Personal Information and Identity thefts online.
This book is not meant to be a technical primer. It is meant as an introduction that covers most aspects of encryption and the modern application of cryptography.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Understanding cryptography
Chapter 3: Historical algorithms: simple examples
Chapter 4: Unbreakable ciphers?
Chapter 5: Modern algorithms
Chapter 6: Practical security
Chapter 7: Uses of cryptography
Chapter 8: Key management
Chapter 9: Cryptography in everyday life
It was fun to read and also to listen to on Audible. I have so far read it twice or 3 times. Very short snippets of technical details which you can safely skip when needed without compromising your overall understanding of the subject.
As a Cyber Security specialist, I give it an easy 5 star as it made a daunting subject every newcomer avoids (like Maths) an easy and digestible subject and I was inclined to read the book multiple times without getting bored.
To give you an example, breaking the Enigma cipher played a huge role in giving the Allied forces and the UK an upper hand in the war against Germany and it is believed it shortened the war by at least 2 years.
Lately, if you have not been keeping up with the news you would be very familiar with the NSA leaks by an ex-NSA employee named Edward Snowden. Security and privacy are becoming essential in the dawn of Mass Surveillance or the rise of Personal Information and Identity thefts online.
This book is not meant to be a technical primer. It is meant as an introduction that covers most aspects of encryption and the modern application of cryptography.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Understanding cryptography
Chapter 3: Historical algorithms: simple examples
Chapter 4: Unbreakable ciphers?
Chapter 5: Modern algorithms
Chapter 6: Practical security
Chapter 7: Uses of cryptography
Chapter 8: Key management
Chapter 9: Cryptography in everyday life
It was fun to read and also to listen to on Audible. I have so far read it twice or 3 times. Very short snippets of technical details which you can safely skip when needed without compromising your overall understanding of the subject.
As a Cyber Security specialist, I give it an easy 5 star as it made a daunting subject every newcomer avoids (like Maths) an easy and digestible subject and I was inclined to read the book multiple times without getting bored.
November 7, 2017
賷亘丿賵 兀賳賳丕 賳兀賱賮 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 禺丕乇噩 廿胤丕乇賴 丕賱毓賱賲賷 賵賳爻鬲禺丿賲賴 丿賵賳 兀賳 賳毓賷 匕賱賰貙 亘丨賷孬 賷氐毓亘 毓賱賶 賴匕丕 丕賱毓丕賱賲 兀爻鬲賷毓丕亘 賲丕 賳賯賵賱賴 乇睾賲 賳胤賯賳丕 亘賳賮爻 丕賱賱睾丞 賵 鬲賵馗賷賮賳丕 賳賮爻 丕賱賲賮乇丿丕鬲!
賰丕賳鬲 乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丿丕賳 亘乇賵丕賳 亘丿丕賷丞 賲鬲賵丕囟毓丞 賱賲毓乇賮鬲賳丕 亘賲氐胤賱丨 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇貙 賵賱丕 亘丿 賲賳 兀卮亘丕毓 賴匕丕 丕賱鬲賵丕囟毓 賵賱賵 賯賱賷賱丕賸 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 賰鬲丕亘 毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇貙 丕賱匕賷 賷毓鬲亘乇 賲賯丿賲丞 賯氐賷乇丞 賱賰賳賴 丨鬲賲丕賸 賱賷爻 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱亘爻丕胤丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賵丨賷 亘賴丕 賴匕賴 丕賱鬲爻賲賷丞貙 亘賱 賲毓馗賲賴 賷丨鬲丕噩 賱鬲胤亘賷賯 毓賲賱賷 賵賴匕丕 賲丕 賰丕賳 賷賳賯氐賳賷..
毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賴賵 毓賱賲 鬲氐賲賷賲 兀賳馗賲丞 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賵 鬲鬲賲孬賱 賮賰乇丞 賳馗丕賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賮賷 廿禺賮丕亍 丕賱賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 丕賱爻乇賷丞 亘丨賷孬 賷氐亘丨 賲毓賳丕賴丕 睾賷乇 賲賮賴賵賲 廿賱賶 兀賷 卮禺氐 丌禺乇 睾賷乇 賲氐乇丨 賱賴 亘丕賱兀胤賱丕毓 毓賱賷賴丕.. 鬲鬲賰賵賳 丕賱卮賮乇丞 賲賳 "丕賱賳氐 丕賱兀氐賱賷" 丕賱匕賷 賷賲孬賱 丕賱賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 丕賱賲購乇丕丿 廿禺賮丕丐賴丕貙 賮賷賲丕 賷胤賱賯 毓賱賶 毓賲賱賷丞 廿禺賮丕卅賮賴丕 兀爻賲 "毓賲賱賷丞 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇" 賵賷胤賱賯 毓賱賶 丕賱賳氐 丕賱丕氐賱賷 丕賱賲卮賮乇 兀爻賲 "丕賱賳氐 丕賱賲卮賮乇" 丕賵 "亘賷丕賳 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇" 賵 賷胤賱賯 毓賱賶 賲噩賲賵毓丞 丕賱賯賵丕毓丿 丕賱賲爻鬲禺丿賲丞 賮賷 鬲卮賮賷乇 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 丕賱賳氐 丕賱丕氐賱賷 "禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丞 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇" 賵毓丕丿丞 鬲毓鬲賲丿 賴匕賴 丕賱禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丞 毓賱賶 "賲賮鬲丕丨 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇" 丕賱匕賷 賷賲孬賱 賲丿禺賱丕賸 賱賴丕 賵賱賱乇爻丕賱丞貙 賵丨鬲賶 賷鬲賲賰賳 丕賱賲鬲賱賯賷 賲賳 兀爻鬲乇噩丕毓 丕賱乇爻丕賱丞 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 丕賱賳氐 丕賱賲卮賮乇 賷噩亘 兀賳 鬲鬲賵賮乇 " 禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丞 賮賰 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇" 丕賱鬲賷 毓賳丿 兀爻鬲禺丿丕賲賴丕 賲毓 "賲賮鬲丕丨 賮賰 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇" 賷鬲賲 丕爻鬲乇噩丕毓 丕賱賳氐 丕賱丕氐賱賷 賲賳 丕賱賳氐 丕賱賲卮賮乇...
兀爻鬲禺丿賲鬲 丕賱卮賮乇丕鬲 賲賳匕 丕賱賯丿賲 賱囟賲丕賳 爻乇賷丞 丕賱賲乇丕爻賱丕鬲 賵禺氐賵氐丕賸 賮賷 丕賱丨乇賵亘 賵賷毓鬲亘乇 賷賵賱賷賵爻 賯賷氐賷乇 賲賳 兀賵丕卅賱 賲爻鬲禺丿賲賷 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 丨賷孬 鬲毓鬲賲丿 卮賮乇丞 賯賷氐乇 毓賱賶 鬲賲孬賷賱 丕賱丨乇賮 賮賷 丕賱鬲乇鬲賷亘 丕賱丕亘噩丿賷 亘丕賱丨乇賮 丕賱孬丕賱孬 丕賱匕賷 賷賱賷賴 ..鬲賳鬲賲賷 賴匕賴 丕賱卮賮乇丞 賱賳馗丕賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 丕賱鬲賯賱賷丿賷 丕賱賲鬲賳丕馗乇 丕賱匕賷 賷毓鬲亘乇 賲賳 兀爻賴賱 丕賱兀賳馗賲丞 賵兀賯丿賲賴丕 賵賷毓鬲賲丿 毓賱賶 爻乇賷丞 賲賮鬲丕丨 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 ..賰賲丕 鬲毓鬲亘乇 卮賮乇丞 兀賳賷噩賲丕 丕賱鬲賷 兀爻鬲禺丿賲鬲賴丕 丕賱丿賵賱丞 丕賱賳丕夭賷丞 賮賷 丕賱丨乇亘 丕賱毓丕賱賲賷丞 丕賱孬丕賳賷丞 賲賳 兀卮賴乇 丕賱卮賮乇丕鬲 賵 兀毓賯丿賴丕 賵賱賰賳 亘賮囟賱 毓丕賱賲 丕賱乇賷丕囟賷丕鬲 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷 丌賱丕賳 鬲賵乇賷賳睾 丕賱匕賷 鬲賲賰賳 賲賳 氐賳毓 丌賱丞 兀爻鬲胤丕毓鬲 賮賰 卮賮乇丞 丕賱乇爻丕卅賱 賵亘匕賱賰 兀賳賯匕 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱兀乇賵丕丨 丕賱鬲賷 賰丕賳 賲賳 丕賱賲賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲兀賰賱賴丕 賳賷乇丕賳 丕賱丨乇亘.. 賵賲賳 丕賱噩丿賷乇 亘丕賱匕賰乇 兀賳 賯氐丞 丌賱丕賳 鬲賲孬賱鬲 賮賷 賮賷賱賲 爻賷賳賲丕卅賷 鬲丨鬲 毓賳賵丕賳
"The Imitation game"
賷爻鬲禺丿賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 丕賱丌賳 毓賱賶 賳胤丕賯 賵丕爻毓 賱丨賲丕賷丞 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 丕賱卮乇賰丕鬲 賵 囟賲丕賳 爻乇賷鬲賴丕 賵 賷毓鬲亘乇 丕賱鬲氐賮丨 丕賱丌賲賳 賮賷 丕賱卮亘賰丞 丕賴賲 爻賲丕鬲 丕賱鬲噩丕乇丞 丕賱丕賱賰鬲乇賵賳賷丞 賱匕賱賰 賵囟毓鬲 亘乇丕賲噩 鬲卮賮賷乇 禺丕氐丞 賱賴匕丕 丕賱睾乇囟.. 賵乇睾賲 賯賵丞 丕賱卮賮乇丕鬲 丕賱丨丿賷孬丞 賵鬲毓賯賷丿賴丕 廿賱丕 兀賳賴丕 鬲亘賯賶 賯丕亘賱丞 賱賱賰爻乇 賵丕賱兀禺鬲乇丕賯 賲賳 賯亘賱 丕賱賴丕賰乇夭 Hackers 賵 賰乇丕賰乇夭 Crackers ..
兀賳氐丨 亘賲卮丕賴丿丞 賴匕賴 丕賱爻賱爻賱丞 丕賱賯氐賷乇丞 噩丿丕賸
賵丕賷囟丕賸 賴匕賴 丕賱丨賱賯丞 賵鬲賰賲賱丞 亘丕賯賷 丕賱丨賱賯丕鬲..馃憤
賵賴匕丕 乇丕亘胤 丕賱賮賷賱賲
February 9, 2017
賯乇兀鬲賴 賵兀賳丕 毓賳丿賷 禺賱賮賷丞 賲爻亘賯丞 毓賳 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 賵賱賲 兀噩丿賴 賲賯丿賲丞 賯氐賷乇丞 噩丿丕賸 賰賲丕 賷丿賾毓賷 丕賱毓賳賵丕賳
兀賵賱 賲卮賰賱丞 亘賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱賱睾丞.. 賰丕賳鬲 氐毓亘丞 賵睾賷乇 賲賮賴賵賲丞 睾丕賱亘丕賸.. 賮賰丕賳 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丕賱賲氐胤賱丨丕鬲 丕賱毓賱賲賷丞 賰孬賷乇 賵鬲賲賳賷鬲 賱賵 賷鬲賲 賵囟毓 丕賱賲氐胤賱丨 丕賱丕賳噩賱賷夭賷 亘賷賳 賯賵爻賷賳 賱賷爻賴賱 丕賱乇亘胤.
丕賱卮乇丨 賱賲 賷賰賳 賲賷爻乇 賵賲爻鬲賵丕賴 賲鬲賯丿賲.
卮毓乇鬲 亘丕賱賲賱賱 賰孬賷乇丕賸 亘賲賵囟賵毓 兀毓鬲亘乇賴 賲賳 兀賲鬲毓 丕賱賲賵丕囟賷毓 丕賱鬲賷 賲乇鬲 毓賱賷賾 賮賷 丨賷丕鬲賷 丕賱丿乇丕爻賷丞 賵賰賳鬲 兀鬲賳賲賶 兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱匕賷 兀賳氐丨 亘賴 賱賱賲賴鬲賲賷賳 賲賳 睾賷乇 丕賱賲鬲禺氐氐賷賳.
丕卮鬲乇賷鬲 3 賰鬲亘 賲賳 賳賮爻 丕賱爻賱爻賱丞 賵賰賳鬲 賲鬲丨賲爻丞 賱賱毓賳丕賵賷賳 噩丿丕 賵賱賰賳 賲毓 丕賱兀爻賮 賱丕 兀毓鬲賯丿 兀賳賴賲 賯丕亘賱賵丕 鬲賵賯毓丕鬲賷
兀賵賱 賲卮賰賱丞 亘賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱賱睾丞.. 賰丕賳鬲 氐毓亘丞 賵睾賷乇 賲賮賴賵賲丞 睾丕賱亘丕賸.. 賮賰丕賳 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 丕賱賲氐胤賱丨丕鬲 丕賱毓賱賲賷丞 賰孬賷乇 賵鬲賲賳賷鬲 賱賵 賷鬲賲 賵囟毓 丕賱賲氐胤賱丨 丕賱丕賳噩賱賷夭賷 亘賷賳 賯賵爻賷賳 賱賷爻賴賱 丕賱乇亘胤.
丕賱卮乇丨 賱賲 賷賰賳 賲賷爻乇 賵賲爻鬲賵丕賴 賲鬲賯丿賲.
卮毓乇鬲 亘丕賱賲賱賱 賰孬賷乇丕賸 亘賲賵囟賵毓 兀毓鬲亘乇賴 賲賳 兀賲鬲毓 丕賱賲賵丕囟賷毓 丕賱鬲賷 賲乇鬲 毓賱賷賾 賮賷 丨賷丕鬲賷 丕賱丿乇丕爻賷丞 賵賰賳鬲 兀鬲賳賲賶 兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱匕賷 兀賳氐丨 亘賴 賱賱賲賴鬲賲賷賳 賲賳 睾賷乇 丕賱賲鬲禺氐氐賷賳.
丕卮鬲乇賷鬲 3 賰鬲亘 賲賳 賳賮爻 丕賱爻賱爻賱丞 賵賰賳鬲 賲鬲丨賲爻丞 賱賱毓賳丕賵賷賳 噩丿丕 賵賱賰賳 賲毓 丕賱兀爻賮 賱丕 兀毓鬲賯丿 兀賳賴賲 賯丕亘賱賵丕 鬲賵賯毓丕鬲賷
December 27, 2012
An interesting insight, though I found it lacking in areas I would have been interested in more detail,and perhaps overly generous in others.
January 19, 2019
Since I like puzzles, a friend asked me if I had ever touched upon cryptography, which, as he called it, is the ultimate game of puzzle solving. I had not considered this point of view, but did acquiesce immediately that at the very least it must be important to learn about computer security in some detail, as all people can, on average, benefit from improving their computer security, and I'm not immune to the law of averages (or from bad password choices). The subject though, seemed intimidating to me, but the first few chapters are accessible to anyone. To go further,if you need illustrated examples and exercises like me (to grasp mathematical concepts, at least), it would help to use Khan Academy, which has excellent short videos and programs you can tinker with to see how the input and output changes. These are in the Computer Science section, under "Information theory". I've also recently seen EdX courses that might help the layperson like me, and both resources are free. It has also helped me to know, in recent years, that if you have a question, you can ask it on Quora. Overall, if you employ all resources at your disposal to learn more about a topic, success will follow.
May 27, 2018
Excellent introduction to cryptography and related aspects such as key management and public key infrastructure/certificate authorities. I especially liked that the authors tried to cover the entire subject in a holistic fashion instead of just focusing on one narrow application (such as encrypting messages). It is a non-technical book that nevertheless is easier to read if you have at least some basic knowledge of computers and maths.
My favorite part were the small exercises which made you think about different encryption mechanisms in a deep and meaningful way. Definitely recommend this book to anyone who's interested in the subject!
My favorite part were the small exercises which made you think about different encryption mechanisms in a deep and meaningful way. Definitely recommend this book to anyone who's interested in the subject!
August 12, 2019
Short Simple book about Cryptography and its different algorithms since the dawn of time till the modern day :p
From Caesar Cipher to modern block chains and certificates it was a great read and not that specific too mostly in layman terms without major math which was O.K but not giving you the whole picture on the subject which is not that bad as an introduction.
For more in depth study you can find courses on Coursera or Edx on the subject which I recommend to dive more into it and the different algorithms out there to encrypt data and have an understanding on how the modern world works and how it give the illusion of anonymity on the web and in life in general.
Good read!
From Caesar Cipher to modern block chains and certificates it was a great read and not that specific too mostly in layman terms without major math which was O.K but not giving you the whole picture on the subject which is not that bad as an introduction.
For more in depth study you can find courses on Coursera or Edx on the subject which I recommend to dive more into it and the different algorithms out there to encrypt data and have an understanding on how the modern world works and how it give the illusion of anonymity on the web and in life in general.
Good read!
Read
October 13, 2020賰鬲丕亘 賷鬲丨丿孬 毓賳 毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇
賵賷毓鬲亘乇 賰賲賯丿賲丞 賯氐賷乇丞 賱賮賴賲賴!!
賵賷夭毓賲 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘兀賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷爻鬲賴丿賮
丕賱賯丕乇卅 丕賱毓丕丿賷. 賵賱賰賳 賮賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞
賴賵 賷爻鬲賴丿賮 丕賱賮卅丞 丕賱賲賴鬲賲丞 亘賴匕丕
丕賱毓賱賲 丕賱賲毓賯丿 丨爻亘 乇兀賷賷.
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亘卮賰賱 毓丕賲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲毓賯丿 噩丿丕賸
賵賵噩丿鬲 氐毓賵亘丞 亘丕賱睾丞 賮賷 鬲賰賲賱鬲賴
賷丨鬲賵賷 毓賱賶 賲毓丕丿賱丕鬲 乇賷丕囟賷丞
賱賮賰 鬲卮賮賷乇 丕賱禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丕鬲!
賵賲賳賴丕 賲爻丕卅賱 乇賷丕囟賷丞 賱賱賯丕乇卅
賰賷 賷丨賱賴丕 亘賳賮爻賴!!
丕賱賮氐賵賱 噩賲賷毓賴丕 賲賮賷丿丞 噩丿丕賸 噩丿丕賸
"賱賲賳 賷賴鬲賲 亘賴匕丕 丕賱毓賱賲 丕賱賲毓賯丿"貙 賵賱賷爻
賱賯丕乇卅 賷亘丨孬 毓賳 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 兀賲賳賷丞 賲賮賷丿丞
鬲賮賷丿賴 賮賷 鬲氐賮丨 丕賱廿賳鬲乇賳鬲!
賮賲賳 賴賵 賲賴鬲賲 亘毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賵賱丿賷賴
禺賱賮賷丞 噩賷丿丞貙 賮賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賳丕爻亘 賱賴
賵賲賳 賱賷爻 賱丿賷賴 兀賷 丕賴鬲賲丕賲 賳賴丕卅賷丕賸 賮賷
毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賵丕賱禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丕鬲 賵丕賱禺
賮賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 睾賷乇 賲賮賷丿 賱賴 兀亘丿丕賸.
賵賷毓鬲亘乇 賰賲賯丿賲丞 賯氐賷乇丞 賱賮賴賲賴!!
賵賷夭毓賲 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘兀賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷爻鬲賴丿賮
丕賱賯丕乇卅 丕賱毓丕丿賷. 賵賱賰賳 賮賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞
賴賵 賷爻鬲賴丿賮 丕賱賮卅丞 丕賱賲賴鬲賲丞 亘賴匕丕
丕賱毓賱賲 丕賱賲毓賯丿 丨爻亘 乇兀賷賷.
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亘卮賰賱 毓丕賲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲毓賯丿 噩丿丕賸
賵賵噩丿鬲 氐毓賵亘丞 亘丕賱睾丞 賮賷 鬲賰賲賱鬲賴
賷丨鬲賵賷 毓賱賶 賲毓丕丿賱丕鬲 乇賷丕囟賷丞
賱賮賰 鬲卮賮賷乇 丕賱禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丕鬲!
賵賲賳賴丕 賲爻丕卅賱 乇賷丕囟賷丞 賱賱賯丕乇卅
賰賷 賷丨賱賴丕 亘賳賮爻賴!!
丕賱賮氐賵賱 噩賲賷毓賴丕 賲賮賷丿丞 噩丿丕賸 噩丿丕賸
"賱賲賳 賷賴鬲賲 亘賴匕丕 丕賱毓賱賲 丕賱賲毓賯丿"貙 賵賱賷爻
賱賯丕乇卅 賷亘丨孬 毓賳 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 兀賲賳賷丞 賲賮賷丿丞
鬲賮賷丿賴 賮賷 鬲氐賮丨 丕賱廿賳鬲乇賳鬲!
賮賲賳 賴賵 賲賴鬲賲 亘毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賵賱丿賷賴
禺賱賮賷丞 噩賷丿丞貙 賮賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賳丕爻亘 賱賴
賵賲賳 賱賷爻 賱丿賷賴 兀賷 丕賴鬲賲丕賲 賳賴丕卅賷丕賸 賮賷
毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賵丕賱禺賵丕乇夭賲賷丕鬲 賵丕賱禺
賮賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 睾賷乇 賲賮賷丿 賱賴 兀亘丿丕賸.
November 3, 2024
Really enjoyed this book, was a good introduction to cryptography and not too high level (some basic maths facts and work which made it helpful and interesting). Didn鈥檛 realise how old it was so probably outdated in parts but a good enough introduction.
Finished this very quickly as I thought the chapters were just the perfect length without going too detailed.
Would feel a second read through to be beneficial as the acronyms being defined just once makes it tricky to remember鈥� but since this isn鈥檛 a text book I鈥檓 memorising from that is just fine.
Finished this very quickly as I thought the chapters were just the perfect length without going too detailed.
Would feel a second read through to be beneficial as the acronyms being defined just once makes it tricky to remember鈥� but since this isn鈥檛 a text book I鈥檓 memorising from that is just fine.
July 27, 2021
Zastaral谩 kniha. V 膷esk茅m p艡ekladu (jen v 膷esk茅m?) p艡ekladu jsou nav铆c chyby v bin谩rn铆ch 膷铆slech. Nap艡. na stran臎 73 je pro 膷铆slo 9dec hodnota 11dec (1011bin). Na dal拧铆ch str谩nk谩ch jsou 拧patn臎 v媒sledky operace XOR.
V媒razy jako "煤tok 膷lov臎ka uprost艡ed" jen dokresluj铆, jak p艡ekladatel o problematice asi nic nev铆.
V媒razy jako "煤tok 膷lov臎ka uprost艡ed" jen dokresluj铆, jak p艡ekladatel o problematice asi nic nev铆.
September 13, 2018
Good and concise (133 pages) intro to some cryptography fundamentals that is always good to review. All with quite interesting historical remarks (the confederates using a Vigen猫re cipher during the American civil war when was already broken!) and practical examples (GSM, ATMs, etc).
February 14, 2020
Bought this book after visiting Bletchley park. Good introduction to the topic, the authors make an effort to keep it simple and for me it was an easy read, however, it is important to point out that I have training in computer science and maths.
January 22, 2021
廿胤賱丕賱丞 乇丕卅毓丞 丨賵賱 毓賱賲 丕賱鬲卮賮賷乇 賵 丕賱亘乇賲噩賷丕鬲 賵賰賷賮賷丞 毓賲賱賴丕 賵 鬲胤賵乇賴丕 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺賷貙 賰鬲丕亘 賮賷 丕賱賲爻鬲賵賶 氐乇丕丨丞 亘丨賷鬲 賷賮鬲丨 毓賷賳賷賰 毓賱賶 丕賱噩丕賳亘 丕賱禺賮賷 賲賳 兀賲賳 丕賱亘乇丕賲噩 賵丕賱卮亘賰丕鬲 賵 丕賱鬲賷 賴賷 亘丕賱兀爻丕爻 丨賲丕賷丞 賱賱賲爻鬲毓賲賱賷賳 賲賳 禺胤乇 丕賱賯乇氐賳丞.
May 2, 2021
The first half of the book is quite good but the second half is not that great. The algorithms are poorly explained and could really use some additional illustrations. It's also pretty dated at this point, being almost two decades old.
October 17, 2017
As the title states - it a (very short) introduction. Although, it could be a bit more detailed on some topics (e.g. SSL).
April 3, 2019
I think it would be hard to follow for someone who didn't already know something about these topics, but glossed over details that would be interesting to someone who does.
September 16, 2019
Easy to understand and keep in mind.
September 24, 2019
Good intro to crypto, and great section about PKIs.
November 14, 2021
Great book. Fantastic.
December 13, 2022
On page 25
September 2, 2023
Cool to learn about binary n shi
November 30, 2024
I love these short introduction books. If you're not sure of interest in a topic just read a snippet to try it out.
February 16, 2014
If I were asked for a recommendation for an introduction to cryptography, especially a Very Short one, then yes, I would recommend this book. I didn't know anything about cryptography when I started, and now I feel I have a basic sense of what they mean by 128-bit encryption, a one-time pad, hash functions, and key management. By that measure, this book accomplished its goal.
However, there are still some pretty serious problems with the presentation of material. The writers are experts on the subject matter, and without their expertise this could have been worse. But with another round of editing (or another editor?) it also could have been better. A few key points:
1. Chapter 3 has its own appendix. I've seen plenty of books with appendices at the end of the book, after all the chapters, but I've never seen a chapter with its own appendix. I realize there are times when it's appropriate to break with convention - those cases where it will help the reader to understand or to use the material. In this case, it's an explanation of binary numbers and modular arithmetic. I went over it again after finishing the book and I don't think it contributed anything by placing it in the middle. I think it should have been placed at the end, and its location in the middle of the book is solely due to poor planning and editing. In the grand scheme of things, it's not such a big deal, but it irks me because it's unnecessary and looks like a glaring "fix me" sign to your average editor.
2. The Acknowledgements specifically thanks two readers for "saving us from embarrassment by correcting some of our exercises," but they apparently missed a big one. In fact, they missed the only true exercise in the book - the big cryptogram on page 30. Note only do they provide no helpful hints to the struggling reader, there is no answer key provided anywhere (not upside-down on the next page, not buried in the back). Sorry readers, you're entirely on your own this time. If you want to try it yourself, I won't ruin your fun by giving you the key here, but I must warn you: there is a major typo and a few minor ones. The word SCPKQ on line 8 is repeated. Even if you're never cracked a code or solved a puzzle, you'll probably accept that there are very, very few grammatically correct sentence in English where a word is used twice in a row. Add that to a missing space and a missing punctuation mark and you have some sloppy editing. "Hey man, they made a mistake, so what? It's a cryptogram - it's confusing and must have been hard to check anyway, right?" Yes, except for the fact the whole point of the book is about deciphering messages, and this was the single exercise in it. I considered that maybe they made these minor mistakes to add to the challenge, but there was no discussion of this in the text. Given this and the overall issues with editing, I'm inclined to take this as sloppy work.
3. Being that this is a, ahem, cryptic topic, most readers are going to need the material to be presented in a fairly straightforward fashion, with little assumed and frequent reminders (as in, "Remember this, from page 26? This is where it comes in handy.") Instead the writers opted for the tone of "It should be clear that..." and "Of course..." and other such introductory lines that turn off your average reader who just wants a, well, a very short introduction, not a reminder of how insanely remedial this chapter. There's a lot of that throughout. I don't think they did this to insult the audience (let's hope not). I think the writers were just a bit out of touch with who is likely to read this cover-to-cover. With that said, there is an Index (mercifully placed at the end), but it doesn't contain all the terms you would hope for and contains more than a few you could never care about. For example, a good Index header is "Key Search" with sub-headers "Exhaustive" and "Internet," things you'd probably be interested on the topic of key searches (note: there are different pointers listed under the Index header "Exhaustive Key Search", so why not just have "See Exhaustive Key Search"?). But it contains headers for people mentioned only in passing (ex: Queen Elizabeth I, Simon Singh) but no headers for ECB, standing for Electronic Code Book; instead you'd have to look for as a sub-header of Mode of Operation. Um yeah, wonder why I didn't think to look there the first time. So again, it's not like the writers set out to impress or deliberately confuse the readers as much as they didn't have a good feel for them.
I know I sometimes write these really long entries for middle-of-the-road books. But I think it's warranted in cases like this. The book did accomplish its purpose in that I now have a substantially better understanding of, and respect for, cryptography. But I can't overlook the fact that with a bit more effort and the help of a good editing staff this book could have been much better.
However, there are still some pretty serious problems with the presentation of material. The writers are experts on the subject matter, and without their expertise this could have been worse. But with another round of editing (or another editor?) it also could have been better. A few key points:
1. Chapter 3 has its own appendix. I've seen plenty of books with appendices at the end of the book, after all the chapters, but I've never seen a chapter with its own appendix. I realize there are times when it's appropriate to break with convention - those cases where it will help the reader to understand or to use the material. In this case, it's an explanation of binary numbers and modular arithmetic. I went over it again after finishing the book and I don't think it contributed anything by placing it in the middle. I think it should have been placed at the end, and its location in the middle of the book is solely due to poor planning and editing. In the grand scheme of things, it's not such a big deal, but it irks me because it's unnecessary and looks like a glaring "fix me" sign to your average editor.
2. The Acknowledgements specifically thanks two readers for "saving us from embarrassment by correcting some of our exercises," but they apparently missed a big one. In fact, they missed the only true exercise in the book - the big cryptogram on page 30. Note only do they provide no helpful hints to the struggling reader, there is no answer key provided anywhere (not upside-down on the next page, not buried in the back). Sorry readers, you're entirely on your own this time. If you want to try it yourself, I won't ruin your fun by giving you the key here, but I must warn you: there is a major typo and a few minor ones. The word SCPKQ on line 8 is repeated. Even if you're never cracked a code or solved a puzzle, you'll probably accept that there are very, very few grammatically correct sentence in English where a word is used twice in a row. Add that to a missing space and a missing punctuation mark and you have some sloppy editing. "Hey man, they made a mistake, so what? It's a cryptogram - it's confusing and must have been hard to check anyway, right?" Yes, except for the fact the whole point of the book is about deciphering messages, and this was the single exercise in it. I considered that maybe they made these minor mistakes to add to the challenge, but there was no discussion of this in the text. Given this and the overall issues with editing, I'm inclined to take this as sloppy work.
3. Being that this is a, ahem, cryptic topic, most readers are going to need the material to be presented in a fairly straightforward fashion, with little assumed and frequent reminders (as in, "Remember this, from page 26? This is where it comes in handy.") Instead the writers opted for the tone of "It should be clear that..." and "Of course..." and other such introductory lines that turn off your average reader who just wants a, well, a very short introduction, not a reminder of how insanely remedial this chapter. There's a lot of that throughout. I don't think they did this to insult the audience (let's hope not). I think the writers were just a bit out of touch with who is likely to read this cover-to-cover. With that said, there is an Index (mercifully placed at the end), but it doesn't contain all the terms you would hope for and contains more than a few you could never care about. For example, a good Index header is "Key Search" with sub-headers "Exhaustive" and "Internet," things you'd probably be interested on the topic of key searches (note: there are different pointers listed under the Index header "Exhaustive Key Search", so why not just have "See Exhaustive Key Search"?). But it contains headers for people mentioned only in passing (ex: Queen Elizabeth I, Simon Singh) but no headers for ECB, standing for Electronic Code Book; instead you'd have to look for as a sub-header of Mode of Operation. Um yeah, wonder why I didn't think to look there the first time. So again, it's not like the writers set out to impress or deliberately confuse the readers as much as they didn't have a good feel for them.
I know I sometimes write these really long entries for middle-of-the-road books. But I think it's warranted in cases like this. The book did accomplish its purpose in that I now have a substantially better understanding of, and respect for, cryptography. But I can't overlook the fact that with a bit more effort and the help of a good editing staff this book could have been much better.
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