For those studying for the CISSP exam, the (ISC) ² Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) domain that is most intimidating to many people is definitely cryptography.

With that, Everyday Cryptography: Fundamental Principles and Applications is a reference that can minimize feat of cryptography.

The book assumes that the reader has no prior knowledge of cryptography and requires almost no prior knowledge of mathematics.

The author notes that he deliberately avoided a lot of the minutiae around the mathematics of cryptography in order not to alienate the reader.  But given that cryptography is built upon math, he does nonetheless include an appendix that details most the concepts involved.

Author Keith Martin is the director of the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway University in London and has many years of experience in teaching cryptography to the uninitiated.

For those looking to get a handle and deep understanding on everything you need to know about cryptography, Everyday Cryptography: Fundamental Principles and Applications looks to be a great resource.

Full review to follow.