COMP 537: Cryptography
Fall 2023Instructor: Saba Eskandarian
Contact: saba@cs.unc.edu or anonymous feedback form
TAs: Katie Cornette and Matthew Gregoire
Lectures: Mon/Wed 9:30am-10:45am, FB009
Office Hours:
Katie: Mon 1:30-3pm, Tues 11am-12:30pm, Thurs 11am-12pm (FB 331)
Matthew: Mon 3:30-5pm, Tues 9-11am, Wed 2-5pm, Fri 10:30am-12pm, 1-3pm (FB 331)
Saba: Mon/Wed 11am-12pm, Thurs 2-4pm (FB 346,352), additional OH by appointment
Links:
Syllabus
Course Schedule
Anonymous Feedback
Course Description
Cryptography is an indispensable tool for protecting information in computer systems. Our web browsers use it almost every time we connect to a website; it protects our private messages from prying eyes; it enables the modern world of online commerce; and it guards the freedoms of journalists, dissidents, and oppressed groups throughout the world.
At the same time, cryptography has deep connections to the theory of computation, number theory, algebra, and computational complexity theory. Major open questions in cryptography have immediate ramifications for whether P=NP, and cryptography research has given rise to several of the most beautiful ideas in computer science. These ideas (which we will cover) have been recognized by several Turing awards.
This course will introduce you to both sides of cryptography. Our main focus will be on the inner workings of cryptographic primitives and how to use them correctly. We will begin with standard cryptographic tools such as encryption, message authentication, key exchange, and digital signatures before moving on to more advanced topics like elliptic curves, post-quantum cryptography, and zero-knowledge. See the course schedule page for a more detailed list of topics. Throughout the course we will also explore the techniques used in modern cryptography to reason about the security of cryptographic schemes.
Assignments
- Problem set 1 (source, preamble):
due Wednesday, August 30due Thursday, September 7 - Problem set 2 (source, preamble):
due Wednesday, September 20due Wednesday, September 27 - Programming assignment 1 (starter code):
due Wednesday, October 4due Friday, October 6 - Problem set 3 (source, preamble): due Wednesday, October 18
- Programming assignment 2 (starter code): due Wednesday, November 1
- Problem set 4 (source, preamble): due Wednesday, November 15
- Problem set 5 (source, preamble): due Wednesday, December 6
Resources
The following resources may be helpful as reference throughout the course.- A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography, textbook by Dan Boneh and Victor Shoup
- Introduction to Modern Cryptography, textbook by Jonathan Katz and Yehuda Lindell
- Dan Boneh's online cryptography class, videos covering some of the material from this class
- Attacks and Reductions in Cryptography, a short tutorial by David Wu
- Arithmetic Modulo Primes, a cheat sheet by Dan Boneh
- Arithmetic Modulo Composites, a cheat sheet by Dan Boneh
- Glossary of Crypto Definition Acronyms