Cryptology and Network Security: Principles and Practice: Third Edition

Author: Stollings
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Purpose of This Book
The purpose of this book is to outline the principles and applications of cryptology and network security. The first two parts discuss cryptology and network security technologies, elaborating on the fundamental concepts of network security. The other parts cover the applications of network security, including practical application software that has been implemented or is currently used to provide network security. Therefore, this book covers multiple disciplines. Specifically, to understand the essence of some of the technologies discussed in this book, a basic knowledge of number theory and certain results in probability theory is required. However, this book attempts to be self-contained, not only providing the necessary number theory knowledge but also helping readers gain an intuitive understanding of it. The approach is to introduce this background knowledge only when needed. This helps readers understand the motivation for discussing this knowledge, and the author believes this method is better than presenting all the mathematical knowledge at once at the beginning of the book.
Target Audience
This book is suitable for teachers and professionals. It can be used as a textbook for undergraduate students in computer science, computer engineering, and electrical engineering, covering cryptology and network security over one semester. It can also serve as a reference book or a self-study guide. The book systematically introduces the fundamental principles and application technologies of cryptology and network security. The book is mainly divided into the following four parts.
Traditional Cryptography
This part provides a detailed discussion of traditional cryptographic algorithms and design principles, including the use of traditional cryptography to ensure secrecy.
Public Key Cryptography and Hash Functions
This part discusses public key cryptography algorithms and design principles, the application of message authentication codes and hash functions, as well as digital signatures and public key certificates.
Network Security
This part covers system-level security issues, including threats posed by intruders and viruses, as well as corresponding countermeasures, the application of firewalls and trusted systems.
Compared to the second edition, the third edition of this book continues to broadly cover the content of cryptology and network security while adding new topics such as finite fields, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), RC4 cryptography, and CTR mode. Additionally, the content of the elliptic curve cryptography section has been significantly expanded. Furthermore, there have been many changes and updates in the presentation of the fundamental content.
The book is comprehensive, easy to understand, and particularly suitable for classroom teaching and self-study. It is a rare gem. Especially, the discussion of network security applications in the real world at the end of the book, including practical applications that have been implemented or are currently in use, makes it even more valuable.
This book can be used as a textbook for graduate students and senior undergraduate students, and it can also serve as a reference for professionals in the fields of information security, computer science, communications, and electronic engineering.