Understanding Cryptography is a comprehensive textbook that covers essential cryptographic techniques, from basic concepts to practical implementations. It is suitable for both students and professionals, with a focus on making the subject accessible without heavy mathematics.
Understanding Cryptography is a well-structured textbook that introduces readers to the fundamentals of cryptography and data security. The authors, Christof Paar and Jan Pelzl, cover a wide range of topics, including stream ciphers, the Data Encryption Standard (DES), the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), block ciphers, the RSA cryptosystem, and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC). The book also delves into digital signatures, hash functions, Message Authentication Codes (MACs), and methods for key establishment, including certificates and public-key infrastructure (PKI). Throughout the book, the authors emphasize practical implementations and recent topics such as lightweight ciphers for RFIDs and mobile devices. The text is enriched with examples, problems, and chapter reviews, making it an excellent resource for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses, as well as for self-study by engineers.
Quick quotes
The authors focus on communicating the essentials and keeping the mathematics to a minimum
Throughout the book, the authors focus on making the subject accessible without heavy mathematics
The book is suitable for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses and also for self-study by engineers.