Cryptography I Course Syllabus

Overview (80-120 words) describing structure and time commitment.

Module 1: Course Overview and Stream Ciphers

Estimated time: 4 hours

• Introduction to cryptography and its historical context
• Study of pseudo-randomness and stream ciphers
• Understanding semantic security
• Exploration of the one-time pad

Module 2: Block Ciphers

Estimated time: 3 hours

• Examination of block cipher constructions
• Study of AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)
• Analysis of 3DES (Triple Data Encryption Standard)
• Understanding modes of operation and their security implications

Module 3: Message Integrity

Estimated time: 3 hours

• Introduction to message authentication codes (MACs)
• Implementation and use of hash functions
• Ensuring data integrity using cryptographic techniques

Module 4: Authenticated Encryption

Estimated time: 3 hours

• Combining encryption and authentication methods
• Exploration of real-world applications
• Identification of potential vulnerabilities in implementation

Module 5: Basic Key Exchange

Estimated time: 3 hours

• Study of key exchange protocols
• Mathematical foundations of key exchange
• Introduction to number theory concepts relevant to cryptography

Module 6: Public-Key Encryption

Estimated time: 3 hours

• In-depth analysis of RSA encryption
• Study of ElGamal encryption systems
• Understanding public-key infrastructure and applications

Module 7: Final Exam

Estimated time: 0.5 hours

• Comprehensive assessment covering all course materials

Prerequisites

• Foundational understanding of mathematics
• Basic programming knowledge
• Familiarity with computer science concepts

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Explain core cryptographic principles and their real-world applications
• Implement symmetric encryption using stream and block ciphers
• Ensure data integrity through MACs and hash functions
• Apply authenticated encryption techniques securely
• Analyze and defend against common cryptographic attacks