Book details of 'Java Cryptography (Java Series (O'Reilly & Associates).)'

Title	Java Cryptography (Java Series (O'Reilly & Associates).)
Author(s)	Jonathan Knudsen
ISBN	1565924029
Language	English
Publisher	O'Reilly & Associates

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Reviewer amazon.com wrote:
Cryptography isn't all there is to security. But rendering information unintelligible to those without the proper key usually plays a big role in any networked data-sharing system. Java Cryptography shows the Java programmer (with or without crypto experience) how to implement ciphers, keys, and other data-obscuring techniques in Java. The Java language includes lots of classes that are designed to facilitate cryptography, and this book explores them in depth. Key management classes, random-number generators, signed applets, and other parts of the Java security mechanism get attention in these pages. But most interesting are the author's examples. He has written a complete implementation of the ElGamal cipher as a provider in the framework of the Java Security API. If you want to understand how the Provider Architecture works, this is what you need to examine. Don't look here for an explanation of the mathematics, however. In addition to his discussions and examples for individual pieces of the cryptography infrastructure and his implementation of the ElGamal system, Knudsen includes two nifty crypto-enabled programs: a chat system and an e-mail system.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
This book is intended to teach experienced Java programmers how to add cryptographic elements to their applications. The text is not intended to teach encryption algorithms, basic Java programming, or the overall Java security model: there are other books that fulfill those functions. There is one other limitation: much of the book relies on the Java Cryptography Extensions (JCE) which are only available to those in the United States and Canada (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Chapter one lists some fundamentals of encryption and the relationship to security. There are also a couple of programs right off the bat that will let you explore message digests, and encrypting and decrypting messages. The basics of confidentiality, authentication, and some major cryptographic algorithms are outlined in chapter two. The explanations are quite terse, but not out of line with the aim of the book. Java Security Architecture (JCA) is explained in chapter three, along with a quick overview of the API (Application Programming Interface) and SPI (Service Provider Interface). Chapter four introduces Java's own pseudo-random number generator, plus programming for key seeds from keyboard timing. Key management, in chapter five, is somewhat weak. The APIs only deal with hierarchical key certification, but this may simply be an example of Knudsen dealing strictly with the language, and leaving the concepts to others. I was, however, bemused at some passages that may have suffered from a lack of copy editing: for example, one section that seemed to confuse production of Message Authentication Codes with working on Macintosh computers. Authentication of various types is covered quite well in chapter six. Chapter seven's guide to encryption covers details not normally dealt with in cryptography texts because it must handle all matters related to getting an encryption algorithm to actually function in an application. Chapter eight gives enough detail about signed applets to prove that they are going to be browser specific for a while. Security provider programming is covered in chapter nine, using the ElGamal algorithm as an example. A sample application is created using an encrypted version of the talk utility in chapter ten. An email application is created in chapter eleven using th provider previously generated in chapter nine. Chapter twelve closes off by looking at security design for the system overall. Appendices review BigInteger arithmetic in Java, the Base64 encoding scheme (an option for converting binary objects to text characters for emailing), Java archive files, Javakey, and a quick reference for the Java cryptography classes as covered in the book. Knudsen states that the book is written, as far as possible, without assuming any prior knowledge of cryptography. In this aim he succeeds rather well. The programmer with no background in encryption can still add a reasonable layer of security to his or her application. Those who study further, of course, will be able to ensure a higher level of protection and reliability. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1998
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Book description:

Cryptography, the science of secret writing, is the biggest, baddest security tool in the application programmer's arsenal. Cryptography provides three services that are crucial in secure programming. These include a cryptographic cipher that protects the secrecy of your data; cryptographic certificates, which prove identity (authentication); and digital signatures, which ensure your data has not been damaged or tampered with. This book covers cryptographic programming in Java. Java 1.1 and Java 1.2 provide extensive support for cryptography with an elegant architecture, the Java Cryptography Architecture (JCA). Another set of classes, the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE), provides additional cryptographic functionality. This book covers the JCA and the JCE from top to bottom, describing the use of the cryptographic classes as well as their innards. The book is designed for moderately experienced Java programmers who want to learn how to build cryptography into their applications. No prior knowledge of cryptography is assumed. The book is peppered with useful examples, ranging from simple demonstrations in the first chapter to full-blown applications in later chapters. Topics include: The Java Cryptography Architecture (JCA) The Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Cryptographic providers The Sun key management tools Message digests, digital signatures, and certificates (X509v3) Block and stream ciphers Implementations of the ElGamal signature and cipher algorithms A network talk application that encrypts all data sent over the network An email application that encrypts its messages Creating signed applets Covers JDK 1.2 and JCE 1.2.