Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government Saving Privacy in the Digital Age | 
| Author: Steven Levy
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 577134
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0140244328
Dewey Decimal Number: 621
EAN: 9780140244328
Publication Date: January 15, 2002
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Amazon.com Review
If the National Security Agency (NSA) had wanted to make sure that strong encryption would reach the masses, it couldn't have done much better than to tell the cranky geniuses of the world not to do it. Author Steven Levy, deservedly famous for his enlightening Hackers, tells the story of the cypherpunks, their foes, and their allies in Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government. From the determined research of Whitfield Diffie and Marty Hellman, in the face of the NSA's decades-old security lock, to the commercial world's turn-of-the-century embrace of encrypted e-commerce, Levy finds drama and intellectual challenge everywhere he looks. Although he writes, "Behind every great cryptographer, it seems, there is a driving pathology," his respect for the mathematicians and programmers who spearheaded public key encryption as the solution to Information Age privacy invasion shines throughout. Even the governmental bad guys are presented more as hapless control fetishists who lack the prescience to see the inevitability of strong encryption as more than a conspiracy of evil. Each cryptological advance that was made outside the confines of the NSA's Fort Meade complex was met with increasing legislative and judicial resistance. Levy's storytelling acumen tugs the reader along through mathematical and legal hassles that would stop most narratives in their tracks--his words make even the depressingly silly Clipper chip fiasco vibrant. Hardcore privacy nerds will value Crypto as a review of 30 years of wrangling; those readers with less familiarity with the subject will find it a terrific and well-documented launching pad for further research. From notables like Phil Zimmerman to obscure but important figures like James Ellis, Crypto dishes the dirt on folks who know how to keep a secret. --Rob Lightner
Product Description
If you've ever made a secure purchase with your credit card over the Internet, then you have seen cryptography, or "crypto," in action. From Steven Levy-the author who made "hackers" a household word-comes this account of a revolution that is already affecting every citizen in the twenty-first century. Crypto tells the inside story of how a group of "crypto rebels"-nerds and visionaries turned freedom fighters-teamed up with corporate interests to beat Big Brother and ensure our privacy on the Internet. Levy's history of one of the most controversial and important topics of the digital age reads like the best futuristic fiction.
"Gripping and illuminating." (The Wall Street Journal)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 34 more reviews...
 Good Intro History October 3, 2008
This author and John Markoff are some of the best general writers that have written about the early history of home computers and various associated issues. Levy is superb in his books entitle Hackers and Artificial Life.
Crypto is interesting for me in a number of ways. My father was in the Navy for most of my first years of life, working in the career field involving crytpo communications and I was always interested in the subject even if I spent a career in the military working on F-4's. The book's history covers most of the years I spent in the military and the names trigger memories of conversations and classes about top but little known generals and admirals (like Admiral Inman) I had while earning a history/politicial science degree. It also brings back memories of Contra-gate with the players Colonel North and Admiral Poindexter (which have nothing to do with this book). Two of the books that Levy cites, Codebreakers and Puzzle Palace, were objects I spent many hours with during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Crypto is a fascinating introduction into the difficult dance that the government and computer/math geeks danced during the early emergence of computer encoding systems especially over the issue of requiring inferior products to overseas consumers. The brief snap shots of the early computer crypto hackers are fascinating. Levy has mastered the art form of providing bio snap shots and surpassed one of the masters of doing this, which was Civil War historian -- Bruce Catton.
Levy also provides a very introductory briefing on how the early crypto systems worked and the ideas behind them. He does not get bogged down with excessive details to provide that background.
Condsidering the House finally approved the 'bailout' bill today and imposed an excessive and overbearing government presence on the American economic scene, it is interesting that the Clinton/Gore administration was officially impending software companies with their export of quality products and the geniuses that worked on the crypto systems. Big Brother government has been around for a lot longer than many realize.
This book is an idea candidate for re-issue and updating.
my question answered March 19, 2007
The computer age is truly here. Our money, identity and privacy are truly exposed. Having heard about the National Security Agency's battle to prevent the public use of secure cryptography, I really wanted to know if I could trust our government to let me have secure privacy.
History is an excellent teacher. You just have to get the facts and judge for yourself. This book does just that. It tells it's story in an unbiased manner, truly believable and logical.
I have found my answer. Read it and find yours.
Crypto for the Common Man - A Great Intro October 26, 2006
Beside Hackers, Crypto is arguably Steven Levy's strongest work. Like Hackers, Levy captures an intimate sense of detail about the characters who fought to bring strong cryptography to the public. Yet, at the same time, he manages to put together a more coherent, linear history than he achieved with Hackers.
In the end, I failed to sense the tension that Levy claims - certainly this was a David vs. Goliath fight, against such formidable and shadowy opponents as the NSA, however he never really establishes a sense of "Oh, Jeez! What if they stop the crypto heroes?" I never really felt like the outcome was in question - but again, that's light criticism when weighed against the strength of the book.
Crypto does a great job conveying a very technically difficult subject - cryptography - which is, of course, one of the skills that cements Levy among the best popular technology writers of our generation. Strongly recommended for anyone interested in technology in general - and, although probably a little technically light for those closer to the subject, it remains a great way to get closer to the people that made it happen.
 Some parts Interesting, some parts boring July 30, 2006
Now days, communications are more secure than ever thanks to the pubic key crytographic system and the work of those people involve in this story. As you will see, the more bits a key has, most difficult is to break the code, since to factorize a big prime number is almost impossible. Well, that is what we currently know. Although in this book you have this history, I think the author put too much detail in things we are just going to forget soon, making the book a little boring.
EXCELLENT and MOVING book about cryptography stars August 12, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This author made a boring subject come alive! In addition, the writing actually made some the people interesting who focused mostly or solely on cryptography...ordinarily I would ignore single focus persons. But this book talked about their successes in a succint way that interested me.
This is a GREAT author. I read his book about the Macintosh and that is why I purchased this book. I am adding AES encryption to a Windows CE device...so cryptography interests me. I also purchased Hackers and will read it later.
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