Module COMP3731: Cryptography

Department: Computer Science

COMP3731: Cryptography

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To understand:
• the main cryptographic primitives for secret-key and public-key cryptography
• the main security notions for cryptosystems
• the main kinds of attacks to protect against when using a cryptosystem
• the design of cryptographic protocols

Content

• Introduction to cryptography
• Secret-key cryptography: DES, AES, modes of operation, and attacks against those systems
• Public-key cryptography: RSA and attacks against it
• Discrete-logarithm and Elliptic Curve cryptography and attacks against those
• Lattice-based cryptography
• Side-channel attacks
• Hash functions: constructions, security and applications
• Signature schemes: constructions, security and application
• Construction of protocols and proving their security

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
• an understanding of the key features of secret-key and public-key cryptography primitives
• an understanding of security concerns for cryptography
• an understanding of the main kind of attacks against cryptosystems
• an understanding of the key features of cryptographic hash functions
• an understanding of the key features of digital signature schemes
• an understanding of the issues faced in designing and assessing the security of cryptographic protocols

• On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
• an ability to design and use main cryptography primitives
• an ability to run different kinds of attacks against cryptosystems
• an ability to evaluate the efficiency and security of protocols based on hash functions
• an ability to design various digital signature schemes and to assess their security

• On completion of the module, students will be able to demonstrate:
• an ability to validate the correctness and security of cryptosystems;
• an ability to conduct some attacks against those cryptosystems.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures enable the students to learn new material relevant to cryptography.
• Computer classes enable students to practice running complex attacks against symmetric-key cryptosystems.
• The summative coursework assesses the knowledge and understanding of the cryptosystems and the attacks viewed throughout the course.
• The examination assesses the knowledge and understanding of the material covered in the lectures.
• The assignment element of the coursework component consists of a coding exercise with accompanying report.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

Example formative exercises are given during the course.