COMP 537: Cryptography

Course Schedule

This is a tentative schedule of topics and is subject to change. Suggested readings from the Boneh-Shoup textbook (v0.6, denoted BS) and the Katz-Lindell textbook (3rd Edition, denoted KL) are listed for most lectures. Lecture notes for each lecture will be made available to the class.

Symmetric-Key Encryption

• Aug 21: Intro and One Time Pad
  Reading: BS 2.1; KL 1, 2.1-2.3
• Aug 23: Stream ciphers
  Reading: BS 2.2, 3.1-3.3; KL 3.1-3.3
• Aug 28: Block ciphers
  Reading: BS 4.1-4.2; KL 3.5, 7.2.5
• Sep 4: Labor Day (no class)
  
• Sep 6: How to use block ciphers
  Reading: BS 4.4, 5.1, 5.3-5.5; KL 3.4, 3.6

Message Integrity

• Sep 11: Message integrity
  Reading: BS 6.1-6.11; KL 4.1-4.5, 6.1
• Sep 13: Collision resistant hashing
  Reading: BS 8.1-8.8; KL 6.2-6.4.1, 7.3
• Sep 18: Authenticated encryption
  Reading: BS 9.1-9.7; KL 5.1-5.3

Public Key Cryptography

• Sep 20: Key distribution and intro to groups
  Reading: KL 11.1-11.2, 9.1, 9.3.1-9.3.3
  A Computational Introduction to Number Theory and Algebra, Chapter 6
• Sep 25: Well-being Day (no class)
  
• Sep 27: Public key cryptography
  Reading: BS 10.4-10.5, 10.6.1, 10.7, 11.2-11.3; KL 11.3-11.4, 9.3.2, 9.4.2 12.1-12.2
• Oct 2: Public key encryption
  Reading: BS 11.5, 12.1-12.2, 12.4, 10.2-10.3, 11.4; KL 9.2, 12.3-12.5

Digital Signatures and Authentication

• Oct 4: Digital signatures
  Reading: BS 13.1-13.7; KL 13.1-13.4
• Oct 9: More digital signatures
  Reading: BS 14.1, 14.5-14.6, 13.8-13.9; KL 14.4, 13.6
• Oct 11: Identification protocols
  Reading: BS 18.1-18.6

Theoretical Foundations

• Oct 16: Minimal assumptions for crypto
  Reading: BS 3.4, 4.2.1, 4.5-4.6; KL 8.4.2-8.7
• Oct 18: The Random Oracle Model
  Reading: BS 8.10.2-8.10.3; KL 6.5, 6.6.5
• Oct 23: Authenticated key exchange and TLS
  Reading: BS 21.1-21.6, 21.10; KL 13.7
• Oct 25: Midterm exam
  

Zero Knowledge

• Oct 30: Introduction to zero-knowledge
  
• Nov 1: Sigma protocols
  Reading: BS 19.1, 19.4, 19.7
• Nov 6: Non-interactive zero-knowledge (NIZKs)
  Reading: BS 19.2-19.3, 19.5.2, 19.6.1, 20.1, 20.3; KL 13.5
• Nov 8: Succinct proofs
  Reading: BS 8.9; KL 6.6.2

Advanced Encryption Topics

• Nov 13: Elliptic curves
  Reading: BS 15.1-15.3; KL 9.3.4
• Nov 15: Pairing-based cryptography
  Reading: BS 15.4-15.6
• Nov 20: Privacy, policy, and social responsibility
  Required reading:
  The Moral Character of Cryptographic Work (Through Part 3)
  Keys Under Doormats (At least through Executive Summary)
• Nov 22: Thanksgiving Break (no class)
  
• Nov 27: Lattice-based cryptography
  Reading: KL 14.3
  Further Reading on Lattices: A Decade of Lattice Cryptography

Multiparty Computation

• Nov 29: Oblivious transfer and two party computation
  Further Reading on MPC: A Pragmatic Introduction to Secure Multi-Party Computation
• Dec 4: Secret sharing
  Reading: BS 22.1; KL 15.3
• Dec 6: Multiparty computation and course conclusion
  Reading: BS 23.1-23.2

Final Exam Period

• Dec 15, 4-7pm: Course feedback and bonus topic(s)