Simple Steps to Data Encryption

Introduction

When I buy a computer book, I’m impatient. I want to get to the part of the book that tells me everything I need to get my stuff done. For this book, the important information is how to encrypt, decrypt, and digitally sign your data. That’s why the first page explains how to encrypt a file and how to verify a digital signature: Actionable information on every page is my motto.

There is much you should know about how to use encryption safely and securely, but it’s not easy to present all that information comprehensively and exhaustively but also accessibly (that is, “won’t put the reader to sleep by page 17”).

I began writing this book using the industry standard for computer books: start with the history of encryption, followed ...