In today’s digital environment, cryptography is a vital instrument for information protection. Even with its significance, cryptography is not always an easy topic to understand. See our selection of the top Cryptography Books if you want to learn more about this important subject.
The term “crypto” comes from the Ancient Greek word “κρυπτός” / “kryptós,” which means “secret, hidden.” The study and use of secure communication methods designed to keep outsiders from reading or deciphering private messages is known as cryptography. Secrets between two people may be maintained with cryptography, for example, when messaging someone on Telegram or WhatsApp.
Additionally, it may be used to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing data; this is useful when you use encryption on your phone or computer to limit who can view the contents stored there. Finally, to guarantee that only authorized users may access encrypted data, cryptography can be used in conjunction with additional security measures like authentication systems (like passwords).
Top-Rated Cryptography Books
1. Real-World Cryptography by David Wong
Look no further if you want to learn about practical cryptography, which is the kind of cryptography that supports security in common applications. Real-World Cryptography is a comprehensive introduction to the subject that teaches you everything you need to know about cutting-edge cryptographic techniques and how to use them.
Authentication, encryption, signatures, secret-keeping, and other topics will all be covered in detail, with easy-to-understand diagrams and examples included.
In addition, this one of the famous Cryptography Books discusses recent developments in cryptography, including cryptocurrencies and post-quantum cryptography. Real-World Cryptography is an excellent resource for everyone wishing to brush up on this crucial subject, regardless of expertise level.
Available on: Amazon, AbeBooks.
Price:
- Kindle version: $43.99.
- Paperback: $47.99.
2. Serious Cryptography: A Practical Introduction to Modern Encryption by Jean-Philippe Aumasson
Serious Cryptography is a thorough manual on contemporary cryptography, deconstructed into simple mathematical ideas. You will gain knowledge of block cyphers, hash functions, safe randomness, authenticated encryption, and public-key cryptography methods including elliptic curve and RSA.
Additionally, this book covers a variety of vulnerabilities and how to prevent them. For everyone interested in cryptography, regardless of experience level, this is the ideal resource.
Available on: Amazon, AbeBooks.
Price:
- Kindle edition: $29.99.
- Paperback: $33.97.
3. Guide to Internet Cryptography by Jörg Schwenk
The past twenty years have seen a significant increase in research on Internet cryptography, highlighting the crucial interaction between implementation, standardization, and research. This one of the Best Cryptography Books is meant to be used as a reference for Internet security and in academic IT security courses.
It covers the fundamental cryptographic protocols used on the Internet, from WLAN encryption to TLS and email security, and discusses them in a style that is similar to real-world cryptography research. The book gathers information regarding attacks on implementations of these standards from both academic and non-academic research (because these assaults are the major source of fresh insights into real-world cryptography).
This helpful publication may illustrate commonalities in cryptographic structures and cross-influences in standards by compiling all of this information in one location. Covers the fundamental principles of Internet cryptography and incorporates work activities and issues into each chapter. Focuses in particular on TLS, IPsec, and secure email.
Summarizes practical cryptography in three chapters that serve as introductions; provides background information from computer networks; minimizes mathematical formalism and considers cryptographic primitives primarily as black boxes; and offers two final chapters that come up with further information on online security. It provides a very practical method for Internet cryptography.
Available on: Amazon, Bookshop.
Price:
- Hardcover: $43.19.
- Paperback: $68.
4. Cryptography 101 by Rolf Oppliger
An extensive introduction to the area of cryptography and the state of the art is given by this fascinating new resource. It gives a general introduction to the topic of cryptography and the several public keys, secret keys, and unkeyed cryptosystems that are out there before getting into further depth regarding the systems’ technical specifications.
The current state of cryptography technologies, approaches, procedures, and systems are introduced, discussed, and placed into context. One-way functions, cryptographic hash functions, random generators, and random functions are all covered. Functions of pseudorandom generators are introduced and explained. Message authentication and authenticated encryption are presented, and symmetric encryption is investigated.
A summary of probability theory, complexity theory, and discrete mathematics is provided to the readers. Important background information is provided. Digital signatures and asymmetric encryption are also mentioned. This book, written by a subject matter specialist, offers principles and ideas that will help both new and seasoned practitioners.
Available on: Amazon, AbeBooks.
Price:
- Kindle edition: $160.55.
- Hardcover: $169.
5. Cracking Codes with Python by Al Sweigart
Construct and break ciphers, which are algorithms used to construct and convey secret communications, while learning how to program in Python! You will learn how to create, test, and break programs that encrypt text using traditional ciphers like the transposition cipher and Vigenère cipher after taking a crash course in the fundamentals of Python programming.
Work your way up to public key cryptography, the kind of encryption used to safeguard modern online transactions like digital signatures, email, and Bitcoin, starting with basic programs for the reverse and Caesar ciphers. Every program comes with a line-by-line explanation of how everything works, in addition to the whole code.
You will have mastered Python coding by the conclusion of this one of the famous Cryptography Books, and you will have the witty programs to show it. Additionally, you will learn how to construct actual functioning programs by combining loops, variables, and flow control instructions. To quickly determine if encrypted communications are legitimate English or nonsense, use dictionary files.
Available on: Amazon, Bookswagon.
Price:
- Kindle edition: $17.99.
- Paperback: $27.99.
6. The Mathematics of Secrets by Joshua Holden
Describing cryptography’s mathematical foundations, a fascinating tour of the mathematics behind cryptography—the discipline of conveying covert messages—is provided to readers in The Mathematics of Secrets. The majority of works on cryptography are arranged chronologically or according to the historical applications of codes and ciphers, such as in financial transactions or government and military intelligence.
Instead, Joshua Holden demonstrates how various codes and ciphers function based on mathematical concepts. Holden covers most of the known ancient and contemporary ciphers and concentrates on both creating and breaking codes.
Holden starts by discussing replacement ciphers, which are constructed by changing a single letter or group of characters for another. It explains the fundamental mathematical concept behind the Caesar cipher, one of the most straightforward and well-known ciphers in history. He also goes over ways to add flexibility and extra notation.
Holden continues by examining exponentiation-based ciphers, stream ciphers, linkages between ciphers and computer encryption, and polyalphabetic substitution ciphers. He also examines transposition ciphers, including one created by the Spartans. He also looks at public-key ciphers, in which the intended receivers are the only ones who can decipher a message even if the encryption techniques are known to the whole public.
Available on: Amazon, Goodreads.
Price:
- eBook: $9.99.
- Hardcover: $9.99.
- Paperback: $13.93.
7. Everyday Cryptography by Keith Martin
A key piece of technology supporting data security in computer networks is cryptography. The significance that cryptography plays in ensuring information security for commonplace technologies including the Internet, smartphones, Wi-Fi networks, payment cards, Tor, and Bitcoin is thoroughly introduced in this book.
The goal of this book is to be generally accessible, self-contained, and introductory. It’s a good place to start reading about cryptography. Almost little previous mathematical knowledge is needed since the book purposefully omits specifics of the mathematical methods that underlie cryptographic devices.
Rather, we will concentrate on the knowledge that an average user or information security professional should possess concerning cryptography to comprehend the layout and operation of commonplace cryptographic programs.
The main body of this book is relatively timeless, as it focuses on the fundamental principles of modern cryptography rather than the technical intricacies of contemporary cryptographic technology. It illustrates the application of these principles by examining several modern applications of cryptography.
Available on: Amazon, Bookswagon.
Price:
- Kindle edition: $48.99.
- Paperback: $65.
- Hardcover: $135.
8. A Course in Cryptography by Heiko Knospe
A brief introduction to contemporary cryptography is given in this one of the Best Cryptography Books. The presentation of algebraic, number theory, and probability mathematical underpinnings centers on their cryptographic applications. The material adheres to the proven security approach and offers strict definitions.
Block ciphers, stream ciphers, hash functions, message authentication codes, public-key encryption, key setup, digital signatures, and elliptic curves are among the most important cryptographic systems that are discussed. There are distinct chapters on quantum computing, lattice-based, and code-based cryptosystems, as well as an examination of the latest advancements in post-quantum cryptography.
The reader is assisted in comprehending the ideas and uses of contemporary cryptography by a plethora of illustrations, calculations, and exercises in addition to computer code written in SageMath (Python). Algebraic structures, which are used in post-quantum systems and several cryptographic constructs, are given particular attention. The reader is prepared for further advanced study by foundational mathematics and the contemporary methods of cryptography and security. It is the best Cryptography Books.
Available on: Amazon, AbeBooks.
Price: $89 (hardcover).
9. Trailblazing into Cryptography by Aditya Bisheshwar Sood
This book is intended mostly for those who are new to cryptography, i.e., pupils in middle school through college. This book will understandably explain basic cryptography ideas with the use of graphics and analogies.
Most “introductory” cryptography texts, however, overcomplicate things by going into abstract, non-rudimentary number theory before beginning students have even gained a firm grasp of the basics. This was very evident to me as a high school student when I first became interested in cryptography.
Following years of nonstop effort in this area, readers now know more about cryptography thanks to lessons from MIT, Google, Intel, and other encryption specialists.
Available on: Amazon, GetTextBooks.
Price: $6.99 (paperback).
Best Courses on Cryptography
If you are keen on Cryptography and want to be a professional, only Cryptography Books will not help you. You can consider enrolling in these courses:
a. Cryptography I by Stanford University.
- Duration: 1-3 months.
- Fee: Free to enroll, $79 for certificate.
b. Google Cyber Security Professional Certificate by Google.
- Duration: 6 months.
- Fee: Free to enroll, $189 for certificate.
c. Applied Cryptography Specialization by University of Colorado.
- Duration: 1 month.
- Fee: $180.
d. Introduction to Applied Cryptography by University of London
- Duration: 1-4 weeks.
- Fee: Free.
e. Microsoft Cyber security Analyst Professional Certificate by Microsoft.
- Duration: 6 Months.
- Fee: Free to enroll, $49 for certificate.
f. Introduction to Cyber Attacks by New York University
- Duration: 18 hours.
- Fees: Enroll for free, $299 for certificate.
FAQ
Q: What are possible careers after a cryptography course?
A: After successful completion of a cryptography course, these are the possible careers:
- Applied Cryptographer.
- Cryptography Security Analyst.
- Research Scientist in Cryptography.
- Security Engineer.
- Software Engineer.
- Investigation Specialist.
- Cryptography Security and Research Consultant.
- Cyber Cryptography Engineer.
- Client Software Engineer, Security & Cryptography.
- Cryptography Researcher.
- Research Scientist – Cryptography and Internet Technology.
Q: What is the earliest example of cryptography?
A: The first known instance of cryptography in any kind was discovered in an inscription discovered in the main chamber of the Egyptian nobleman Khnumhotep II’s tomb, about 1900 BC. Here and there, the scribe substituted some peculiar hieroglyphic characters for more common ones.
Q: Which algorithm is used in cryptography?
A: RSA and ECC are the most used asymmetric cryptography algorithms. To maintain enough cryptographic strength, TLS/SSL certificates usually employ RSA keys, and the recommended size of these keys is continuously growing (e.g., 1024 bit to 2048 bit).