Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction

By Vahid Roostaie

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. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192803158
• ISBN13: 9780192803153
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 4.5" x 0.4" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

excellent read

this book is exactly what it says it is and is excellent at that task. i highly recommend this book to a sys-admin that wants to understand the basics of encryption without being an expert, anyone interested in cryptograms, or anyone with just a casual interest in the history, and concepts of cryptography. this book is not designed for mathematicians or security experts looking deep inner workings of algorithms. the book...

covers the main ideas, with little maths needed

The book is good as befits its subtitle. Indeed, a very short introduction, with only a minimal evocation of maths background. But there is enough qualitative explanation so that you can understand the broad historical development. From the Caesar Cipher to a Simple Substitution Cipher to a Vigenere Square Cipher. Then, the text goes into modern ideas, all of which involve using computers to encrypt and decrypt. Notably the...