Knowledge of number theory and abstract algebra are pre-requisites for
any engineer designing a secure internet-based system.
However, most of the books currently available on the subject are aimed
at practitioners who just want to know how the various tools available
on the market work and what level of security they impart. These books
traditionally deal with the science and mathematics only in so far as
they are necessary to understand how the tools work.
Internet Security
differs by its assertion that cryptography is the single most important
technology for securing the Internet. To quote one reviewer "if every
one of your communication partners were using a secure system based on
encryption, viruses, worms and hackers would have a very hard time".
This scenario does not reflect the reality of the Internet world as it
currently stands. However, with security issues becoming more and more
important internationally, engineers of the future will be required to
design tougher, safer systems
