Title: Internet Cryptography

Author: Richard E. Smith
Publisher: Addison Wesley
Date: 1997
ISBN: 0-201-92480-3
Cost:
Disk: n/a

This book is, as it claims, an overview. It is not in the same league as Applied Cryptography but (apart from the title) does not pretend to be. It contains no algorithms, source code or maths. However people who have responsibility for email, web and ftp severs, etc. on internet or internal networks, will find this book useful. Like most books of this type there is the caveat that it is a US book. Thus it has a US slant on the legal aspects and uses of cryptography across international borders.

 

There are simple explanations of how things work including firewalls, e-mail, remote access, virtual private networks and key handling. There is a glossary that includes “server” and goes up from there. Interestingly the many of the books and papers in the bibliography have a www or ftp address.

 

Many strategies and techniques are discussed and the whys and wherefores. I feel that perhaps “Network and Internet security” may have been a better title but it is a very good book as an introduction and overview. The text is readable and it is easy to dip into so it can be used as a quick reference. So if you find internet security is a mystery and cryptography all Greek this is probably the book for you. Well, I liked it anyway.