Module 20008 (2008)
Syllabus page 2008/2009
06-20008
Cryptography
Level 4/M
Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus
The Module Description is a strict subset of this Syllabus Page. (The University module description has not yet been checked against the School's.)
Relevant Links
For more information and the lecture notes see the
Cryptography Homepage.
Outline
The module will present the fundamentals of cryptography, as well as its applications and issues of how cryptography is used in practice.
Aims
The aims of this module are to:
- introduce the basic terminology, concepts, and standards of cryptography
- familiarise students with the main approaches, algorithms, and protocols in modern cryptography
- explain the principles and underlying mathematical theory of today's cryptographic algorithms
- provide an understanding of potential weaknesses and problems with ciphers and cryptographic protocols
- raise awareness of some of the legal and socio-ethical issues surrounding cryptography
Learning Outcomes
| On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to: | Assessed by: | |
| 1 | explain the fundamentals of cryptography, such as encryption, digital signatures and secure hashes | Examination |
| 2 | select appropriate techniques and apply them to solve a given problem | Examination |
| 3 | design and evaluate security protocols appropriate for a given situation | Examination |
| 4 | demonstrate an understanding of the mathematical underpinning of cryptography | Examination |
| 5 | demonstrate an understanding of some legal and socio-ethical issues surrounding cryptography | Examination |
Restrictions, Prerequisites and Corequisites
Restrictions:
None
Prerequisites:
None
Co-requisites:
None
Teaching
Teaching Methods:
3 hours/week lectures/exercise classes
Contact Hours:
Assessment
- Sessional: 1.5 hr examination (80%), continuous assessment (20%).
- Supplementary (where allowed): By examination only (100%).
Recommended Books
| Title | Author(s) | Publisher, Date |
| Practical Cryptography | N Fergueson & B Schneier | John Wiley & Sons, 2003 |
| Applied Cryptography | B Schneier | John Wiley & Sons, 1996 |
| Handbook of Applied Cryptography | A J Menezes, P C van Oorschot & S A Vanstone | CRC Press, 1996 |
| Cryptography | N Smart | McGraw Hill, 2003 |
| Beginning Cryptography with Java | D Hook | John Wiley & Sons, 2005 |
| Contemporary Cryptology | D Catalano, R Cramer, I Damgard, G Di Crescenzo, D Pointcheval & T Takagi | Springer Verlag, 2005 |
Detailed Syllabus
- Overview on Historical Ciphers
- Symmetric Ciphers
- Block Ciphers
- Stream Ciphers
- Key Management
- Asymmetric Ciphers
- Diffie-Hellman
- Public Key Cryptography
- RSA
- Cramer Shoup
- Signatures, Certificates, Data Integrity
- Quantum cryptography
Last updated: 13 May 2008
Source file: /internal/modules/COMSCI/2008/xml/20008.xml
Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus