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Handbook of Applied Cryptography
cconnell writes "The Handbook of Applied Cryptography is now available free (for personal use) on the Internet. This is a $100 book. Note also the companion C source code for most of the crypto algorithms, written by James Pate Williams. There is some very cool code here!"
Now if you want to talk about free and LEGAL, thats new.
They've released a $100 book electronically? It must be encrypted.
I think that's a rather harsh, and practically unenforcable, restruction.
You could've hired me.
Online, free, for years.
Really. This is not news.
I've had the PDFs for this lying on a my disk for about a year now. Good book, but I don't see what's new - I found it from a "free books on the Internet" link over a year ago (and yes, I actually read most of it, I'm not just hoarding).
Well, well, this comes to me as a surprise. Isn't CRC press the same company that screwed Eric Weisstein over his online math resource (a must, although I find it a bit too sinthetic sometimes)
;-) but at least we know there are some 'good guys' trying to play fair and confronting the rapacious faction.
There must be powerful 'tectonic drift' stresses in those corporate offices
Ciao,
Edo
Mi domando chi à il mandante di tutte le cazzate che faccio - Altan
The ink cartridges required to print out the some odd 800 pages are worth $100.
For an online resource this is great in case I'm travelling or my hardcopy is unavailable.
However, I still want my bible in print.
Someone you trust is one of us.
Great, and I just bought this too.
The first chapter is great. It gives a general overview of how cryptograhy works and how it can be defeated. It is somewhat technical, but it doesn't use formulas so it reads easily. If you don't know why security certificates on web sites need to be signed, or why accepting an unsigned certificate could be bad, I would highly recommend reading it. It also shows how different cryptography methods work in general and gives the stengths and weaknesses of each.
Beyond the first chapter things get a little bit hairy. I have a degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics and much of the math is over my head, or at the very least required several reads. If you are implementing cryptography algorithms I'm sure it is a must read, but for somebody, like me, who is more interested in applications of cryptography, I'd recommend skipping.
1. Download book on crypto
2. ???
3. Profit!!!
I'd far prefer to have this available in a printed/bound copy, but the pdf will make for good reading on those long winter nights.
In any case, this is an excellent book, a fun read and well worth buying or downloading. Start with Schneier's "Applied Cryptography" and continue with this. There is a fair amount of mathematics which may seem intimidating at first glance, but which is relatively accessible with a bit of work.
If you're at all interested in cryptography - read this.
- AC is by far more readable; HoAC is by far more correct and information-dense.
- AC gives a very superficial coverage of the material; HoAC could be used as a textbook for a college math course. When I need a quick reminder of what some common RSA exponents are, I pull down AC. When I need in-depth information, I pull down HoAC.
- AC is easier to navigate.
- AC makes better leisure reading; HoAC is extremely dry and terse.
Short answer: if you think you know beans about crypto just because you've read through Applied Cryptography... well, you don't. Read through the Handbook until you can understand and follow all the math that they use, and then you can honestly call yourself a cryptonerd.