LECTURE: M-Th
11:00-11:50am, Sp-226;
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Pante STANICA, 268A Spanagel, 656-2714,
(I prefer to be
contacted by email)
OFFICE HOURS: M,T,W,Th 10:00-11:00am (or come by if my door is open).
(Be aware that office
hours are not a substitute for regular class time)
TEXT: Introduction to Cryptography (with Coding
Theory) (2nd ed., 2006);
by W. Trappe and L.C. Washington
We also shall cover some topics found in D. Stinson’s book on Cryptography: Theory and Practice
PREREQUISITE: MA1025, or equivalent exposure to elementary propositional
and predicate logic and mathematical proof.
CALCULATOR POLICY: Using a CAS like Mathematica
or Maple can give more insight.
MATERIAL TO BE COVERED (and Objectives for the course—subject to be
adjusted along the way):
Classical Cryptosystems (Shift, Affine, Vigenere,
Substitution Ciphers)
Review of Abstract Algebra and Vector Spaces (over finite fields)
Modern Private Key systems:
Data Encryption Standard
Advanced Encryption Standard
Public Key Systems:
RSA Algorithm
Discrete Logarithms and Related
Protocols
Elliptic Curves and Ciphers based on
these
I may do some topics from crypto Boolean functions
HOMEWORK: You are encouraged to do as many problems as you can
from the book. However the standard (default) assignment for each week is to
read carefully the indicated sections and to prepare for homework the problems
I will assign in class. The homework will not be collected. However, the exams
may contain problems from the assigned homework. Every student will be required
to do a presentation in front of the class. I will provide a list of topics,
but the student may choose a topic which will have to be approved by me.
GRADING: The number of possible points is 200 (well, a bit more than that if
you take the quizzes). For the letter grade I will use the following scale (be advised
that class participation will be considered, especially in the borderline
grades) (there are no exceptions from this scale!!!!):
185-200: A
175-184: A-
170-174: B+
160-169: B
155-159: B-
145-154: C+
135-144: C
130-134: C-
125-129: D+
100-124: D
0-99: failing grade.
An unresolved absence from either of the two tests or the final examination
will result in a final grade of “FA”.
ACADEMIC
HONESTY: Cheating in this course will
not be tolerated and will be dealt with as harshly as the University permits.
I will report any student behavior that appears contrary to the standards of
discipline and academic honesty or violations of the provisions described in
the current edition of NPS Student's Catalog.
CLASS
ATTENDANCE AND ENVIRONMENT: You
should do every attempt to arrive on time and attend each class. You are
responsible for the material covered in missed classes. I do not tolerate any
rude behavior; however, I encourage constructive comments on the material
and/or lecture. We have to maintain a class environment conducive to learning
therefore I am against bringing “active” cell phones, pagers, and
other similar disruptive devices into the classroom.
NOTES: The course is intended to provide an introduction to
both the classical enciphering systems and also the more modern public key
cryptosystems. We will show the strengths and weaknesses of the simple systems
and indicate some simple cryptanalytic approaches to their solution. In
general, the cryptanalytic techniques will lie beyond the scope of the course.
A reasonable prerequisite for the course is a foundational grounding in the
subject of applied modern algebra and finite fields as could be acquired in MA
3560. There will be a brief discussion of these topics later in the course.