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  • Published: 18 May 2021
  • ISBN: 9781718501409
  • Imprint: No Starch
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 160
  • RRP: $59.99

Crypto Dictionary

500 Tasty Tidbits for the Curious Cryptographer




Crypto Dictionary is your full reference resource for all things cryptography.

Crypto Dictionary is your full reference resource for all things cryptography.

Cryptography from A5/0 to ZRTP
 
Expand your mind—and your crypto knowledge—with the ultimate desktop dictionary for all things cryptography. Written by a globally recognized cryptographer for fellow experts and novices to the field alike, Crypto Dictionary is rigorous in its definitions, yet easy to read and laced with humor. You’ll find:
 

  • A survey of crypto algorithms both widespread and niche, from RSA and DES to the USSR’s GOST cipher
  • Trivia from the history of cryptography, such as the MINERVA backdoor in Crypto AG’s encryption algorithms, which may have let the US read the secret communications of foreign governments
  • An explanation of why the reference to the Blowfish cipher in the TV show 24 makes absolutely no sense
  • Discussions of numerous cryptographic attacks, like the slide attack and biclique attack (and the meaning of a crypto “attack”)
  • Types of cryptographic proofs, such as zero-knowledge proofs of spacetime
  • A polemic against referring to cryptocurrency as “crypto”
  • A look toward the future of cryptography, with discussions of the threat of quantum computing poses to our current cryptosystems and a nod to post-quantum algorithms, such as lattice-based cryptographic schemes
  •  
    Or, flip to any random page and learn something new, interesting, and mind-boggling for fun. Organized alphabetically, with hundreds of incisive entries and illustrations at your fingertips, Crypto Dictionary is the crypto world go-to guide that you’ll always want within reach.
     
    • Published: 18 May 2021
    • ISBN: 9781718501409
    • Imprint: No Starch
    • Format: Paperback
    • Pages: 160
    • RRP: $59.99

    Also by Jean-Philippe Aumasson

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    Praise for Crypto Dictionary

    "Aumasson includes his own observations and editorial comments in the entries, which makes for a more interesting read than most dictionaries. . . . Readers also can use the dictionary for a crash course in the field and assemble a reading list of important texts." —Veronica Combs, Tech Republic "An opinionated mix of witty definitions, mentions of niche cryptographic constructions and obscure algorithms, historical curiosities, and cryptography nerd jokes . . . As written in its introduction, Crypto Dictionary is meant to be an entertaining read, so that 'any reader can open the book at a random page and discover a yet unknown notion, excavate an obscure concept, or read an anecdote about a familiar term.', and it perfectly fulfils this role." —Julien Voisin, Dustri.org

    "An opinionated mix of witty definitions, mentions of niche cryptographic constructions and obscure algorithms, historical curiosities, and cryptography nerd jokes . . . As written in its introduction, Crypto Dictionary is meant to be an entertaining read, so that 'any reader can open the book at a random page and discover a yet unknown notion, excavate an obscure concept, or read an anecdote about a familiar term.', and it perfectly fulfils this role." —Julien Voisin, Dustri.org