CSCI 420/520 Introduction to Cryptography
This course is an introduction to the basic theory and practice of cryptographic techniques. Emphasizing on algebraic and number theory approaches, the coverage includes the mathematics that is relevant to the cryptography, the secret key and public key encryption techniques, signature schemes, hash functions and message authentication codes, and key distribution.
Course information |
Instructor: Xiaojing Liao (xiaojing@wm.edu) |
Time: Tuesday, Thursday 3:30 pm - 4:50 pm |
Place: Washington Hall 302 |
Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm |
Textbook |
There is no mandatory textbook. The following books are recommended to read: [1] <Introduction to Modern Cryptography, Second Edition> by Jonathan Katz, Yehuda Lindell [2] <Handbook of Applied Cryptography> by A. Menezes, P. Van Oorschot, S. Vanstone Free online [3] <Cryptography: Theory and Practice, Third Edition> by Douglas R. Stinson e-copy in W&M Library [4] <Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition> by Bruce Schneier e-copy in W&M Library |
Week |
Date |
Agenda |
Reading |
HW |
Week 1 |
1/18 |
Course overview |
||
Week 2 |
1/23 |
Modular Arithmetic |
||
1/25 |
Classical Ciphers |
Chapter 1 in [3] or Chapter 1.3 in [1]/ slides |
||
Week 3 |
1/30 |
Discrete Probability and Information Theory |
Chapter 2 in [3] / Chapter 2.1 & 2.2 in [2]/slides |
|
2/1 |
Information Theoretic Security and Stream Cipher |
|||
Week 4 |
2/6 |
Block Ciphers |
Chapter 7 in [2]/Chapter 3.5 in [3]/slides |
|
2/8 |
Block Ciphers |
Chapter 3.6 in [3]/slides |
||
Week 5 |
2/13 |
Block Ciphers and Modes of Operation |
Chapter 3.7 in [3]/slides |
|
2/15 |
Midterm review/ Computational Complexity |
Chapter 2.3-2.6 in [2]/slides |
||
Week 6 |
2/20 |
Midterm 1 |
||
2/22 |
Computational Complexity and Number Theory |
Chapter 5.2 in [3]/slides |
||
Week 7 |
2/27 |
No Class (Travel for Conference) |
||
3/1 |
No Class (Travel for Conference) |
|||
Week 8 |
3/6 |
No Class (Spring Break) |
||
3/8 |
No Class (Spring Break) |
|||
Week 9 |
3/13 |
RSA Cryptosystem and factoring Integers |
Chapter 5.1-5.3 in [3]/slides |
|
3/15 |
RSA Cryptosystem and factoring Integers |
Chapter 5.4/5.9 in [3]/slides |
||
Week 10 |
3/20 |
Public Key Cryptosystems based on Discrete Logarithm Problem |
Chapter 6.1 in [3]/slides |
|
3/22 |
Public Key Cryptosystems based on Discrete Logarithm Problem |
Chapter 6.5 in [3]/slides |
||
Week 11 |
3/27 |
Data integrity and Hash function Midterm 2 (take-home) |
Chapter 4.1 in [3]/slides |
|
3/29 |
Data integrity and Hash function |
Chapter 4.3/slides |
HW3 due |
|
Week 12 |
4/3 |
Digital signatures |
Chapter 7.1 in [3]/slides |
|
4/5 |
Digital signatures |
Chapter 7.2, 7.3 in [3]/slides |
midterm2 due |
|
Week 13 |
4/10 |
Authenticated Encryption |
Chapter 9.1 in [3]/slides |
|
4/12 |
Authenticated Encryption |
Chapter 9.2 in [3]/slides |
||
Week 14 |
4/17 |
Key Distribution and Key Agreement |
Chapter 10.1 & 11.1 in [3]/slides |
HW4 due |
4/19 |
Key Distribution and Key Agreement |
Chapter 10.5 & 11.2 in [3]/slides |
||
Week 15 |
4/24 |
Final-exam review |
||
4/26 |
Final-exam review and wrap-up |
HW5 due |
||
5/7 2-5pm |
Final Exam (Washington Hall 302) |
Prerequisites |
There is no specific prerequisite course for this class, however, a good understanding of basic computer security concepts, computational complexity, probability theory and number theory will be helpful. |
Grading |
10% of In-class Quizzes and Class participation; 25% of Homeworks (around 5); 35% of In-class Midterm exams (2); 30% of Final Exam Bonus 10 points of Optional Course Project |
Others |
Laptop policy: Using laptop/tablets is only allowed to take notes |
Academic accommendation: It is the policy of The College of William and Mary to accommodate students with disabilities and qualifying diagnosed conditions in accordance with federal and state laws. Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a learning, psychiatric, physical, or chronic health diagnosis should contact Student Accessibility Services staff at 757-221-2509 or at sas@wm.edu to determine if accommodations are warranted and to obtain an official letter of accommodation. For more information, please click here. |
Honor code: Students are required to follow the Honor System of the College of William and Mary |