Personal
Encryption is a hands-on guide to cryptography
and modern encryption methods. A large section of
the book is dedicated to the concepts of
encryption and the theory behind it. The second
half of the book is very practical, offering
guidance to using the most popular encryption
products for email, web browsing and your
desktop.Well, that is a quick
summary of Personal Encryption. A closer read of
the book highlights good and bad features about
it. The bad features first: The introduction is
slow. While it may be good to know about all
aspects of cryptography and to be aware of data
privacy, the early chapters certainly drag on.
The first 100 pages could easily have been cut
down to less than half. A whole chapter on the
social issues of cryptography is just overkill.
It is easy to see how the author is trying to
encompass the reader with a broad knowledge of
the subject but it all feels like waffle.
The second half of the book is thankfully more
practical with plenty of screen shots showing the
latest encryption tools. Chapter 5 on digital
signatures is quite good with a step by step
guide to signing on with Verisign, the largest
digital ID suppliers around. Typically the screen
shots are slightly out of date with the web site
but Netscape and Internet Explorer walk throughs
give the book a plus mark.
The reader is shown how to set up a public key
with PGP with simple to follow screen shots. The
same method is applied to secure web surfing and
email. Examples of Eudora with PGP and Outlook
Express are well described. It all feels like
this section of the book should be called Encryption by Example.
The only criticism of the latter half is the
assumption that software like PGP is already
downloaded and ready to use.
Almost hidden at the back of the book Appendix
A describes more about the theory of
cryptography. This should have been incorporated
into the early chapters.
Personal Encryption is not a bad book by any
means. The visual step by step guides are an
obvious way to teach internet-based packages and
the book does it well. However, the first half of
the book is let down by its verbose and vague
style.
What the book covers:
It's a Dangerous World; Modern Cryptography
Primer; Social and Political Cryptographic
Issues; Implementing Encryption; Getting
Crypto-Enabled; Secure Web Surfing; Secure
E-mail; Securing the Desktop; Digital Commerce;
Understanding and Using PGP; Theory of Public Key
Cryptography; Guide to Internet Encryption
Resources; Selected RFCs on Internet Security;
Index.
545 pages including index
USA $39.95 CAN $55.95 UK £29.95
Publisher
and Supplier: AP Professional
(Academic Press)
ISBN 0-12-455837-2
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