A Web Developer's Guide to Secure Communication (Kindle Edition)

Please note that the number of pages refers to the paperback edition of the book, as Kindle editions are not paginated in the conventional way.

You can look inside this Kindle book and download a free sample at amazon.co.uk or amazon.com.

Lecturers and instructors at recognised educational institutions can obtain a free PDF evaluation copy of this book through a MacAvon Media Lecturer’s Account.

Web applications are often entrusted with sensitive data which must be protected in transit between the Web browser and server to prevent its interception. Networks, especially wireless networks, are susceptible to eavesdropping, and precautions must be taken to ensure that it is not possible to read or interfere with data in the event of interception. Care must also be taken that data goes to its intended destination and is not waylaid en route.

Written for professional and student Web developers, this little book provides a clear, non-mathematical introduction to the essentials of cryptography and to the protocols used for securing communication on the World Wide Web, specifically TLS/SSL and HTTPS. Drawing on a thorough understanding of computing principles and many years experience in Web application development, the authors explain both the underlying theory and the available techniques for protecting sensitive data in transit to and from Web applications. The examples focus especially on the requirements of small e-commerce sites. Short working programs written in JavaScript/Node.js are provided throughout the book and via the companion site websecuritytopics.info.

Topics covered include:

• Encryption and decryption of data
• Principles underlying ciphers such as DES and AES
• Message authentication using SHA and HMAC
• Using OpenSSL for encryption and hash computation
• Public key cryptography and certificates
• Digital signatures
• TLS/SSL
• HTTPS

Table of Contents

(Chapter openings are shown in bold.)

About This Book
Introduction
Cryptography
Secret Key Cryptography
Substitution Ciphers
Cryptographically Secure Random Numbers
Block Ciphers
Iterated Block Ciphers
Block Cipher Modes
Using Standard Ciphers
Key Points
Public Key Cryptography
Key Points
Cryptographic Hash Functions and MACs
Hash Functions
Message Authentication Codes
Key Points
Secure Transmission
Security Protocols
Some Notation
Digital Signatures
Public Key Certificates
Key Points
Secure Communication and the Web
Ad Hoc Use of Public Key Encryption
TLS/SSL
HTTPS
Key Points
Appendix: Complexity Theory and Public Key Cryptography
Key Points
Glossary