The Data Encryption Standard (DES) was a standard encryption system used for many years, but it had a flaw, the key strength was only 56bits. This books is about a group of people that started an experiment to try and crack the algorithm by a brute force search of the DES Key-space.
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Brute Force: Cracking the Data Encryption Standard
The book description is as follows :
“In 1996, the supposedly uncrackable US federal encryption system was broken. In this captivating and intriguing book, Matt Curtin charts the rise and fall of DES and chronicles the efforts of those who were determined to master it.“
That description sums up the book perfectly. This book is very interesting if you have an interest in cryptography, a bit of computing history, the change in the American encryption laws and grid computing by using available spare resources on peoples machines connected to the internet.
The book is very well written. This subjected could have been presented in such a dry way, but the author has really captured the subject well and it is an engaging read.
