This book provides a comprehensive introduction into cryptography and the current state of the art. It starts with an overview about cryptography as a field of study and the various unkeyed, secret key, and public key cryptosystems that are available, and it then delves more deeply into the technical details of the systems. The goal is twofold: On the one hand, the book is to provide an abstract explanation of the various types of cryptosystems, explaining what it means for them to be secure. On the other hand, it is to provide all the relevant algorithms and protocols anybody working in cryptography should be aware of and know to some extent. In doing so, however, the book still keeps its bird’s eye perspective.
The book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the current state of the art in cryptography. It explains the most important unkeyed, secret key, and public key cryptosystems in use today, and discusses the various notions of security these systems can achieve.
What are some problems your book can help technical professionals solve?
– Overview the field of cryptography and know all cryptosystems that are used today.
– Understand the various notions of security that are applicable to the different types of cryptosystems.
– Know the historical developments and how the field has evolved over the past few decades.
– Understand the contemporary discussions about cryptographic topics.
– Know and understand the inherent limitations of cryptography (i.e., what can be achieved with cryptography and what cannot be achieved).
What are important Features of your book and Specific Benefits a buyer can expect to derive from those Features?
Feature: Provide a comprehensive and accessible introduction and overview about cryptography.
Benefit: Enable anybody interested in cryptography (in particular, computer scientists, electrical engineers, and applied mathematicians) to enter the field and to understand the current discussions in it.
Feature: Put the developments in the field into perspective.
Benefit: The book discusses the most recent developments in the field, and tries to put everything into the right perspective.
Feature: Provide the most important cryptographic algorithms and protocols.
Benefit: People working in the field can learn and understand the most important algorithms and protocols, as well as the rationale behind their current designs.
What audiences are this book is aimed and how will the book will be used by this audience?
Researchers in industry and academia: They can use the book as an introduction into the field. I expect the book to be one of their first readings, before they delve more deeply into a particular topic.
Software engineers and developers: They get some background information about the algorithms and protocols they have to implement or import from a particular library. Without such information, it is possible and very likely that things go wrong from a security perspective.
Security professionals and consultants: They get the information required to make decisions or give proper recommendations related to cryptography.
Managers and chief information security officers (CISOs): If these folks want to learn more about the topic they have to manage, then the book may be an appropriate source of information (although they have to be selective in reading some chapters apply).
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