Everyday Cryptography

Book excerpt: Cryptography is a vital technology that underpins the security of information in computer networks. This book presents a comprehensive introduction to the role that cryptography plays in providing information security for technologies such as the Internet, mobile phones, payment cards, and wireless local area networks. Focusing on the fundamental principles that ground modern cryptography as they arise in modern applications, it avoids both an over-reliance on transient current technologies and over-whelming theoretical research. Everyday Cryptography is a self-contained and widely accessible introductory text. Almost no prior knowledge of mathematics is required since the book deliberately avoids the details of the mathematical techniques underpinning cryptographic mechanisms, though a short appendix is included for those looking for a deeper appreciation of some of the concepts involved. By the end of this book, the reader will not only be able to understand the practical issues concerned with the deployment of cryptographic mechanisms, including the management of cryptographic keys, but will also be able to interpret future developments in this fascinating and increasingly important area of technology.