[...]... cryptographic projects, I started LibTomMath in 2002 It is a portable math library to manipulate large integers It has found a xix 404_CRYPTO_Preface.qxd xx 10/30/06 1:03 PM Page xx Foreword home with LibTomCrypt as one of the default math providers, and is also integral to other projects such as Tcl and Dropbear .To improve upon LibTomMath, I wrote TomsFastMath, which is an insanely fast and easy to. .. oldest cryptography related security goal and feeds into our natural desire to have secrets Secrets in the form of desires, wants, faults, and fears are natural emotions and thoughts all people have It of course helps that modern Hollywood plays into this with movies such as Swordfish and Mercury Rising Cryptographic Goals However, there are other natural cryptographic problems to be solved and they can... continue to work on my LibTom projects and am constantly vigilant so as to promote them whenever possible I regularly attend conferences such as Toorcon to spread the word of the LibTom philosophy in hopes of recruiting new open-source developers to the educational path So, who is Simon? Simon Johnson is a computer programmer from England He spends his days reading about computer security and cryptographic... academic track in cryptography.This is not the Handbook of Applied Cryptography, nor is it the Foundations of Cryptography Simply put, if you are not tasked with implementing cryptography, this book may not be for you.This is part of the thinking that went into the design and writing of this text We strived to include enough technical and academic details as to make the discussions accurate and useful However,... before I go into too much depth about this text.This text was written mostly by me,Tom St Denis, with the help of my co-author, Simon Johnson, as a technical reviewer I am a computer scientist from Ontario, Canada with a passion for all things cryptography related In particular, I am a fan of working with specialty hardware and embedded systems My claim to fame and probably how you came to know about... or ANSI X9.62) standard Unlike CMAC or HMAC, a public key based authenticator does not require both parties to share private information prior to communicating Public key algorithms are therefore not limited to online transactions when dealing with random unknown parties.That is, you can sign a document, and anyone with access to your public key can verify without first communicating with you Public... day -to- day transactions It arises when we turn on our cellular phones, check our voice mail and e-mail, use debit or credit cards, order a pay-per view movie, use a transponder through EZ-Pass, sign on to online video games, and even during visits to the doctor It is also often used to establish virtual private networks (VPNs) and Secure Shell connections (SSH), which allows employees to telecommute and. .. projects.That is not to say this text is about the projects, merely about the problems users seem to have when using them Often, developers tasked with security problems are not cryptographers.They are bright people, who, with careful guidance, can implement secure cryptosystems This text aims to guide developers in their journey towards solving various cryptographic problems If you have ever sat down and asked... text I would like to thank Microsoft Word for giving me a hard time I would like to thank Andrew, Erin, and the others at Syngress for putting this book together I should also thank the LibTom project users who were the inspiration for this book.Without their queries and sharing of their experiences, I would never have had a thesis to write about in the first place Finally, I would like to thank the pre-order... party from refuting taking party to a transaction Solved with public key digital signatures Output of a signature algorithm is a signature Asset Management A difficult challenge when implementing cryptography is the ability to manage user assets and credentials securely and efficiently Assets could be anything from messages and files to things such as medical information and contact lists; things the user . New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji,Tonga, Solomon Islands, and the Cook Islands. 404_CRYPTO_FM.qxd 10/30/06 2:33 PM Page v 404_CRYPTO_FM.qxd 10/30/06 2:33 PM Page vi vii Lead Author Tom St Denis. at 404_CRYPTO_FM.qxd 10/30/06 2:33 PM Page i 404_CRYPTO_FM.qxd 10/30/06 2:33 PM Page ii Tom St Denis, Elliptic Semiconductor Inc. and Author of the LibTom Project Simon Johnson Cryptography Developers for 404_CRYPTO_FM.qxd. States and Canada by O’Reilly Media, Inc.The enthusiasm and work ethic at O’Reilly are incredible, and we would like to thank everyone there for their time and efforts to bring Syngress books to