Implementing Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Rating:
Summary: rated 1 star as -5 isn't an option
Review: "Lack of clear definitions?" Not a single definition in this book is correct! The author so badly mangles the terminology of basic undergraduate algebra, that it's hard to believe he understands anything of this advanced subject. This book is an abomination that was printed over the strong objections of an expert reviewer by a company more interested in publishing quantity than quality. I mourn the trees that have been sacrificed.

The reviewer who claims to have worked in ECC for 10 years, but is still looking for a good intro, wasn't paid enough to write a favorable review of this book! My recommendation: pick up a copy of Seroussi/Blake/Smart today and wait for a sale, if you must, on Koblitz, Silverman and Menezes. All of these are excellent works by knowledgeable, well-respected mathematicians.

Rating:
Summary: Implementing Elliptic Curve Cryptography
Review: Could you use cryptographic encoding that's thousands of times faster and more secure than conventional code? Here's a book that gives you all the theory and working programs you need to create real applications based on the latest IEEE P1363 standard. Included are fully functional subroutines not available in any other publication. Also included is all the math you need to expand and tailor the code for the use of state-of-the-art cryptographic protocols.

For more information and to see sample sections of the book, go to the Manning web site given above.

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Summary: elliptic curve source cord
Review: ellipic curve cryptosystem algorith

Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Effort
Review: Elliptic Curve is the preeminent public key solution for cryptographic problems that are highly constrained in space or time.

This is the only well rounded book I have seen on EC and for such a rarefied topic the author crafts a highly readable account. For that reason I give it 5 stars. Frankly, my jaw dropped when I first spotted this book. I would reccommend this, for the most part, to security architects & developers; those with backgrounds in electrical engineering or applied math will benefit the most. I must also highly commend the author's emphasis on the pertinant IEEE standard(s).

Now... having said all those nice things, I can let loose with a few paint balls. The book inks some rather gargantuan performance claims that I expect will lead folks to some unsustainable conclusions about what is possible in the real world.

The performance of EC and/vs RSA is one area about which I happen to know more than your average circus bear. I have designed and built time constrained systems based on both EC and RSA...and I have scrutinized every aspect of the performance of the underlying cryptographic toolkits down to the milli-second. Bottom line: The raw performance of EC is no substitute for the high craft, skill and insight you apply to the design of your protocols and your systems.

Even after this book, it is possible to, unwittingly, design an EC based system that performs worse than its RSA twin.

Cheers, Robert Walker

Rating:
Summary: An excellent introduction to the subject
Review: Finally, a book which is a good introduction to ECC. I have been working with ECC for over 10 years, and have found the lack of a good introductory reference particularly frustrating. After all, not everyone looks forward to Springer's Yellow Sale, when you can get graduate to research level math books at a discount. This book now makes the basics of the subject accessible to a much wider audience.

Rating:
Summary: Good introduction, but
Review: First of all the book is a great introduction, but sometimes the lack of clear definitions make you feel a little bit lost,it's great for people without math background,so if you want to get serious in Cryp. after you read this i advice you to read "A course in Number Theory and Cryprography" the real thing !

Rating:
Summary: Good for engineers, as the title says
Review: The book allowed me to gain fair understanding of ECC principles in a matter of hours. It would be difficult to understand without having taken a previous course in cryptography, but if you already have some idea of numbers theory, and you need to get a quick feel of ECC this would be a good place to start. The continued focus on implementation is important to me (being someone who would eventually have to do it). I would add a summary to each section, describing what EXACTLY needs to be done for each operation - less words, more math.

Rating:
Summary: Full of good, helpful information
Review: This book is the first I have read on elliptic curves that actually attempts to explain just how they are used in cryptography from a practical standpoint. It does not attempt to prove the many interesting properties of elliptic curves but instead concentrates on the computer code that one might use to put in place an elliptic curve cryptosystem. The code the author admits could be done in many other ways, but the one he chose I think does its job in instructing the reader just how to implement elliptic curves in cryptography. Indeed, his implementation of large integer math routines is very clear and points out the difference in using a (high level) language like C versus doing the same in Assembly. The only minus to the book from a didactic standpoint are the subroutine schematics that permeate the book. These could have been omitted without any serious damage to understanding what is going on. Readers who need a more rigorous introduction to the mathematics can go to the (immense) literature on elliptic curves. A fine book, and definitely worth reading to gain a practial understanding of elliptic curve cryptosystems.

Rating:
Summary: Lack of clarity. Hard to read and follow.
Review: Unfortunately the book is written without clarity. The author needs to write better to communicate with his reader more clearly.