What is Reddit's opinion of Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C?

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If you have to ask this question you do not have the fundamental understanding and skill to ensure your communication is private. I'd suggest reading the first half of Bruce Schneier's Applied Cyptography to gain a better understanding of the fundamentals of security then you will be able to answer your question.

I definitely recommend Applied Cryptography if you're even remotely interested in crypto. I still get my mind blown by the math that I barely understand, if at all, but I have a way better foundation for understanding crypto papers/discussions after reading it. Plus it's extremely readable and not super dry.

I think there are some other, newer, more up-to-date crypto books, but this is the one that hooked me long enough for me to actually learn things.

> Suppose the voting machine stores...

No, this isn't how cryptography is used for voting (or can be used) as far as I recall. Recommended read: https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Cryptography-Protocols-Algorithms-Source/dp/0471117099 :) I haven't taken much interest into secure voting apart from what I have read in this excellent book. I think it's a great starting point for any serious thinking about this topic.

I suck at explaining myself. For example, the second serial number I mentioned isn't for YOU and is not meant to prove anything but act as a "fake" (but verifiable) one you can present to blackmailer. I failed to explain even that properly.

As a side note, you make many assumptions about the voting process. For example, where I live you cannot get a duplicate voting card because this means messing with results easier so a photo would indeed be a proof etc. This is a detail though because I think you have much stricter expectations of a cryptographic system than you have of a physical one as if the latter couldn't be tampered with (they are!).

I think I'm not qualified for this discussion simply because cryptography isn't my specialization, esp. in this context. But thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

Ok, it's good a question. I loved cryptography learned bitcoin. But i recommended this book! And if you suck at math i recommended write a code with existing crypto-libs (on python,go,cpp etc....)

This is pretty much the bible of cryptography technology https://www.schneier.com/books/applied_cryptography/

also on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Cryptography-Protocols-Algorithms-Source/dp/0471117099

I'm not an expert here but I've picked up interest in the last 3 months and have been pouring through a lot of online resources related to Cryptography and coding. Here's some of what I've been working with:

Hacking Secret Cipher with Python: http://inventwithpython.com/hacking/ > Great hands on book teaching you about various types of ciphers, how they work, how to break them. If you don't know much coding, that's still okay for this book, you learn some of the Python basics.

Applied Cryptography http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Cryptography-Protocols-Algorithms-Source/dp/0471117099/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394549623&sr=1-1&keywords=applied+cryptography > Great book, essentially a cryptographers bible. I got the latest edition on Ebay for $20 total, nearly brand new, so it's cheaper than Amazon

Online course in Cryptography by Dan Boneh - standford https://class.coursera.org/crypto-preview/lecture > I'm halfway through this course and I'm loving it. I would be done by now but I've been busy the past couple of weeks.

That first resource is great and really easy to follow. It'll give a nice foundation for computer cryptography. I was able to get through it in a little over a week.

Can't go wrong with this. A bit dated, but will give you the foundational knowledge to build on.

Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier

Read that. Cover to cover. It's an excellent introduction.

What /u/worldDev said, and as discussed in this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Cryptography-Protocols-Algorithms-Source/dp/0471117099

The ever-excellent Khan Academy has produced a very nice and short series of videos explaining how cryptography works. Anyone who understands basic high school arithmetic can follow this. If you have ever been interested in the science of codes, ciphers, breaking them, etc. this is worth a look:

http://www.khanacademy.org/science/brit-cruise/cryptography

More in-depth treatments of cryptography can be found here:

https://www.coursera.org/course/crypto

and here:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL71FE85723FD414D7&feature=plcp

And for the truly hard-core some of best books on crypto are:

http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Cryptography-Protocols-Algorithms-Edition/dp/0471117099/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340524661&sr=1-1&keywords=applied+cryptography

and

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Cryptography-Niels-Ferguson/dp/0471223573/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340524712&sr=1-1&keywords=practical+cryptography

and

http://www.amazon.com/Cryptography-Engineering-Principles-Practical-Applications/dp/0470474246/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340524751&sr=1-2&keywords=practical+cryptography

>So that site you linked is pretty much explaining that this problem isn't just a mac one?

Yes.

> And that the idea of security on the web is a total illusion no matter your encryption or safeguards?

For trusting strangers, that is correct. If you want a secure connection to someone you know well you can set up a "virtual private network" (VPN). VPNs use encryption but they do not depend on certificate authorities. (Google for "Cisco AnyConnect" for an example.)

The problem with VPNs, however, is that you need a secure way to set them up. For me, that means taking my lap top to work where an IT employee installs the VPN on my machine and configures it so I can communicate with the my employer securely - but you can't do that when shopping at Amazon.

> And it's been that way for ages?

Yes.

If you're really interested in the technology of encryption, I would start with Applied Cryptography. It's 20 years old but it explains the ideas. When he wrote it the author, Bruce Schneier, believed that cryptography could solve many problems in the world. These days, he has a somewhat different view - he's come to believe that a certain number of criminals/predators is inevitable but that's okay. He talks about that in his book Liars and Outliers.

I second "The Code Book" for background. If you know (or are willing to learn) C, Bruce Schneier's book Applied Cryptography is the "K&R" of modern cryptography. It is a bit dated though (pre AES), and is absolutely not light reading. I also recommend these exercises.

http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Cryptography-Protocols-Algorithms-Source/dp/0471117099

Your bounds aren't the way the real world works; collusion is a big problem. I can play at a table and have my buddy at the same table and we can be talking on the phone about our hands. Knowing his hand and how he'll bet gives me a huge advantage long term.

There's also a problem of sophisticated bots that poker client programs have a difficult time detecting, particularly when the bot is ran on a separate computer and networked to the computer that the poker client is being ran on.

edit: Have you read Bruce Schneier's book, Applied Cryptology?