Crypto Dictionary, Book Review: A Useful AZ of Crypto Definitions

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Crypto Dictionary: 500 Tasty Tidbits for the Curious Cryptographer by Jean-Philippe Aumasson No Starch / Penguin Random House 160 pages ISBN: 9781718501409 20.99 / 24.99 $

Cryptography is perhaps the most important thing you use every day – from e-commerce and messaging apps to retrieving your emails, withdrawing money from an ATM on TV by satellite – without knowing it. It is a complex and important area that is generally not fun or accessible.

Serious Cryptography by Jean-Philippe Aumasson is a classic (and serious) introduction to the field. Organized as alphabetical dictionary definitions with occasional additional detail, hisCrypto Dictionary: 500 Tasty Tidbits for the Curious Cryptograph is a rather less serious, but surprisingly comprehensive, collection of crypto nuggets of information that will make you smile, and sometimes you. scratch your head.

Sometimes the writing is concise: Base64 is simply labeled “no encryption”, while the fundamental concept of Proof of Work cryptocurrency is (accurately) defined as “the contribution of crypto to environmental problems.” Sometimes it’s both concise and useful: In addition to calling the blockchain “both a blessing and a curse,” the book offers an unbiased discussion of the downsides and benefits of such an interest in technology. .

Not all jokes are funny (or appropriate), with some being so enigmatic that they will escape anyone who isn’t an expert (although it is interesting to research why the author refers to Time AI as “the festival. Fyre of cryptography “). The author can’t resist the odd hobbyhorse that doesn’t add much, and you’ll need some math skills and a passing grasp of the basics of cryptography to get the most out of the definitions plus techniques.

But there are also a lot of really useful entries with useful explanations, from the basics of Diffie-Hellman encryption to the famous Bruce Schneier warning signs for spotting crypto systems that are more of a hype than actual security. Dictionary covers standards, conferences, key websites, historical references, and trivia. – like the infamous bank representative asking that the fundamentals of TLS 1.3 be changed when the standard was almost decided – making it as much a compendium as a dictionary.

Crypto Dictionary won’t teach you how to do cryptography or how to judge if something is cryptographically strong. But if you want to research a specific cryptography cipher, technique, or protocol, find out what Rainbow Tables are and how they help crack passwords, or learn the difference between quantum and post-quantum cryptography. quantum (the former being both post-quantum but also not part of the latter), then this book is an ideal starting point. It will also likely pique your interest in another concept when you turn to the relevant page.

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