Cryptography and Public Key Infrastructure on the Internet

Cryptography and Public Key Infrastructure on the Internet provides a thorough overview of the subject. It explains how susceptible networks are to hacking and how cryptography can help. This comprehensive and practical guide covers:

• Public Key Infrastructures (PKIs); important when using cryptography in a large organisation,

• the difference between the SSL protocol and the IPSec standard,

• integration of cryptography into the different OSI-layers, and how to decide whether hardware or software solutions are the right means to achieve this.

The book also includes sections on::

• standardisation
  
• authentication
  
• elliptic curve cryptography
  
• chip cards
  
• algorithm modes and protocols - including SSL, TLS, IPSec, SMIME and PGP protocols
  
• cryptography's connection with biometry (using biological characteristics for authentication purposes).

Table of Contents

PART 1: WHY CRYPTOGRAPHY ON THE INTERNET?

  1. Introduction.

  2. What is cryptography and why is it so important?

  3. How is it possible to eavesdrop on the Internet?

PART 2: THE PRINCIPLES OF CRYPTOGRAPHY.

  4. Symmetric encryption.

 5. Modern symmetric encryption algorithms. 

  6. Asymmetrical encryption.

  7. Digital signatures.

  8. Cryptographic hash functions.

  9. Cryptographic random generators.

PART 3: ADVANCED CRYPTOGRAPHY.

  10. Standardisation in cryptography.

  11. Block cipher modes of operation and data transformation for asymmetrical algorithms.

  12. Cryptographic protocols.

  13. Authentication.

  14. Cryptosystems based on elliptic curves.

  15. Implementating cryptography.

PART 4: PUBLIC KEY INFRASTRUCTURES.

  16. Public key infrastructures.

  17. How a PKI works.

  18. Digital certificates.

  19. Certificate servers.

  20. Practical aspects of  PKI construction.

PART 5: CRYPTO PROTOCOLS FOR THE INTERNET.

  21. The Internet and the OSI model.

  22. Crypto standards for OSI Layers 1 and 2.

  23. IPSec (Layer 3).

  24. SSL, TLS and WTLS (Layer 4).

  25. Cryptographic standards for the World Wide Web (Layer 7).

  26. E-mail encryption standards (Layer 7).

  27. Internet payment systems (Layer 7).

  28. Further Application Layer protocols.

PART 6: MORE ABOUT CRYPTOGRAPHY.

  29. Political aspects of cryptography.

  30. People who play a role in cryptography.

  31. Where to find out more about cryptography.

  32. The last chapter.

Appendix A: List of abbreviations.

Appendix B: Bibliography.

Index.