Free distribution of information, ideas, and research - the Internet's original goal - is at odds with the use of the Internet for commerce. Commerce requires individual privacy and security - an afterthought in this medium. Protocols for Secure Electronic Commerce reviews and explains algorithms and architectures for securing electronic payment systems to deal with this issue, particularly the protocols used for business-to-business commerce and for consumer applications. Written by an author intimately involved with the workings of the existing standards, it surveys implementations of the most popular protocols, such as electronic data interchange, secure sockets layer, secure electronic transaction, electronic purses, smart cards, and digital money. It describes the latest developments, offering a technical treatment of the electronic payment systems that are at the heart of security strategy. Explosive growth of the Internet has redefined the electronic commerce paradigm. Standards in place for nearly two decades must now take advantage of the new business possibilities that the Internet offers. At the same time, the consumer needs to be confident in the security of these unfamiliar transactions. The prosperity of electronic commerce depends on you to surmount the technological challenges of this immature field. Protocols for Secure Electronic Commerce will help.
