Secure Electronic Commerce: Building the Infrastructure for Digital Signatures and Encryption

I purchased this book for my class and its good enough where I didn't sell it back. Its not to highly detail but give a good primer on the subject. Well worth the read but I would recomend buying it used if you just need it for a class. Actually I would buy it used for all needs.

A very well organized and useful reference text regarding encryption na dcertificates. I was pleased at the singling out of PG and its differences versus other X509 standards.

Highly recommended - This is still the best intro book I've seen on PKI. Precisely and clearly written. Can't wait for the second edition, though, as this edition is getting a bit dated.

This book is great at understanding the major components of a Public Key Infrastructure and the surrounding issues. You certainly would not walk away being able to set up a PKI, but you would be able to discuss it intelligently. If you are trying to come up to speed on PKI, this is the book for you. The subject is too big to cover everything in one book; so, I would also recommend picking up some more books that look at security issues specifically. One recommendation is E-Commerce Security by Ghosh.

Ford and Baum do a great job explaining the ins and outs of public key infrastructures, covering both the technical and non-technical (legal, administrative, financial, etc.) issues with clarity and insight. Chapters 6 and 7 are especially worthwhile for those looking at the latest IETF PKIX standards.