Dr. Hershey shines, again, in this book -- by far his best

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	• Cryptography Demystified John Hershey McGraw-Hill Professional, 2002 - 356 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

BA/BS in Mathematics Required

If you can make sense of this then you'll be able to make sense of the rest of the book (From Module 4):

Prob[p(t)=1lc(t)={Prob[c(t)=1lp(t)=1]Prob[p(t)=1]}/{Prob[c(t)=1]}
Now,
Prob[c(t)=1lp(t)=1]=Prob[k(t)=0]
and
Prob[c(t)=1]=Prob[p(t)=1]Prob[k(t)=0]+Prob[p(t)=0]Prob[k(t)=1]
therefore,
Prob[p(t)=1lc(t)=1]={prob[k(t)=0]Prob[p(t)=1]}/{Prob[p(t)=1]Prob[k(t)=0}+Prob[p(t)=0]Prob[k(t)=1]}

This book is slanted towards more theory and math than others that deal in practicality, for instance "Cryptography for Dummies". But if you have a solid foundation in mathematics and have the temporal ability to "quantinize" then this is a fantastic book. I would speculate this book is meant for graduate comp. sci/eng coursework as it is broken down into 35 Modules with problem solving exercises at the end of each. At any rate, good luck!

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Great intro to crypto!

Cryptography Demystified is a great intro guide to cryptography, well worth its price.

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Dr. Hershey shines, again, in this book -- by far his best

The simplicity, yet thoroughness, which he uses to explain one of the more difficult topics in engineering and mathematics shows that Dr. Hershey is a true expert in the field. I highly recomend this book for both the novice and the advanced reader.

A book about Cryptography for everyone

If you are looking to expand your mind, think about learning Cryptography. It is an excellent discipline to help you think in new ways. If you decide you want to learn Cryptography, this is the book for you. The book is written in modules, making it easy to digest. The book is equally suitable for a formal classroom or self-study environment. Using the book for self study is enhanced by the modular format, superb clarity of the teaching, the well-explained answers to the problems, and the appropriately injected humor. People that need to learn Cryptography will undoubtedly have this book on their shelf, whether they are an expert or beginner. I would like to speak to the people that don't need to learn Cryptography - this book is for you too, as you will enjoy learning the thought processes of Cryptography that will enhance your creativity in any field. This book is a gift.

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A beginner-low advanced level book

This book was used in a course I took taught by the author, Dr. John Hershey. I have read and own several books in this category, am working to obtain two advanced degrees in the field of computer security, and feel that I have enough information to write an objective review. It is an excellent introduction book to the general area of cryptography, but suffers from several shortcomings.

If you do not know much about what cryptography and encryption are, this book should provide a decent introduction. The book provides the mathematical concepts needed to understand the chapters, but I felt it did not cover enough detail or provide enough examples to let me feel I had a solid understanding of everything.

There are three aspects to cryptography: authentication, integrity, and verification. This book only discusses integrity issues, i.e. encryption. DES, RSA, and Diffie-Hellman are discussed, but a detailed covering of AES is noticibly absent. It covers integrity rather well, breaking down the different methods of using block encryption into separate chapters. In other words, DES operation in electronic codebook, output feedback, and cipher feedback modes are three different chapters. This is something that isn't usually done and is a rather nice touch. It makes it much easier to learn the advantages and disadvantages for each mode of operation.

In terms of total mathematical theory, Hershey's book does not contain much theory. If you want theory, I recommend you find William Stallings book titled "Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice." Also, Hershey's book does not contain code to let you start programming a security system. If you want applications, I recommend you find Bruce Schneier's book titled "Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C." Those books are for advanced readers, however, and may be difficult to understand if you don't know the area.

Overall, it is a good read. I recommend it more for IT people than computer scientists or engineers simply because it touches upon the topic, instead of being very detailed. Look at the editorial review section criteria for who should read the book, it is right for the most part.

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