Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good, but a little bit out-of-date
Comment: This book is a very strong introduction to computer-based cryptography, especially geared towards programmers who aren't solely interested in the mathematical theory behind cryptography, and refers the reader to a number of other good books on topics that it doesn't cover. My only complaint is that some of the material in it is a bit dated (notably the entire section on the Clipper chip). If a fourth edition came out today, I think it would be worthwile to buy.
However, for someone looking to learn about cryptology in general, this is not the book to buy. This focuses only on the needs of engineers who want/need to learn about cryptology, without forcing them to learn all of the theory.
Customer Rating:
Summary: a great book for Avid Crypto fans
Comment: This is not a simplified overview, be warned. Simon Singhs The Code Book is for armchair readers. This is a comprehensive and detailed examination of how real world cryptography is done. It's an excellent book for programmers seeking to implement security into their programs. It is also an eye-opening look at how even the cleverest security algorithms can be compromised. The emphasis is on illuminating just how difficult it can be to protect communications. The devil is in the details and Schneier gives you the details but in an understandable way.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A bit out of date, but highly worth reading
Comment: Bruce Schneier's APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY is an excellent book for anyone interested in cryptology from an amateur level to actually being involved in the development of new encryption mechanisms. Schneier's book begins with a simple discussion of what is cryptography, and then he proceeds through the history of various encryption algorithms and their functioning. The last portion of the book contains C code for several public-domain encryption algorithms.A caveat: this is not a textbook of cryptography in the sense that it teaches everything necessary to understand the mathematical basis of the science. Schneier does not discuss number theory because he expects those who use the relevant chapters of the book will already have training in higher maths. Nonetheless, the book does contain a wealth of information even for the layman. One helpful part of Schneier's book is his opinion of which encryption algorithms are already broken by the National Security Agency, thus letting the reader know which encryption programs to avoid. There will always be people who encrypt to 40-bit DES even though it is flimsy and nearly instantly breakable, but the readers of APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY can greatly improve the confidentiality of their messages and data with this book. Discussion of public-key web-of-trust is essential reading for anyone confused by how public-key signatures work. APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY was published in 1995 and some parts are already out of date. It is ironic that he hardly mentions PGP, when PGP went on to become the most renowned military-strength encryption program available to the public, although it is being superseded by GnuPG. Another anachronism is Schneier's assurance that quantum computing is decades away. In the years since publication of APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY we have seen some strides in quantum computer, even the creation of a quantum computer that can factor the number 15. While this publicly known quantum computer is not at all anything to get excited about, it is certain that more powerful quantum computers are in development and classified by NSA. Because a quantum computer can break virtually any traditional cipher, hiding the message (steganography) is becoming more important than ever. In the era of Schneier's book steganography was unnecessary because ciphertext could withstand brute-force attacks, but with advances in computing power steganography is becoming vital to secure communications. It would be nice to see the book updated with this topic, because cryptography and steganography can no longer be regarded as two distinct fields. All in all, in spite of its age, APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY is recommended to anyone interested in cryptography. It ranks among the essential books on the field, although an updated version is certainly hoped for.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lives Up To It's Name
Comment: I will have to agree with some of the other reviewers that this book finesses a bit on number theory and some of the other mathematical fundamentals of cryptography. I am not dissapointed by this, however. After all the title of the book is "Applied Cryptography."Schneier gives the reader a lot for his/her money. The books is well written and an easy (considering the subject matter) and interesting read as well. "Applied Cryptography" covers a lot of territory - you get the basics of cryptographic theory, detailed treatment of many of the most commonly implemented cryptographic algorithms and protocols (including their potential weaknesses), and lots of source code. If you want to know the sordid details about number theory or pseudo random numbers, there are plenty of books in print that go into great (and often laborious) detail on these subjects. The title says it all -- this is an excellent book on applied cryptography!
Customer Rating:
Summary: THE Cryptography book
Comment: Most books that focus on cryptography tend to be academic and very dry reading. Not this one; Schneier has crafted an easy to read book that covers cryptographic techniques and issues.The book is divided into four major sections: Cryptographic Protocols, Cryptographic Techniques, Cryptographic Algorithms, and a section called "The Real World" that discusses examples of how cryptographic protocols and algorithms are actually used. It also discusses political issues. The book contains the source code (in printed form) to many of the algorithms discussed in the book. The algorithms include: DES, IDEA, Blowfish, RC5, SEAL and others.
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