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Ezra Brown Office: 568 McBryde Office Phone: 231-6950 Home Phone: 552-9563 (before 9 PM) Email: brown@math.vt.edu |
Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri: 10:00-11:30 am Tue, Thu: 3:00-4:30 pm and by appointment |
Time and Place: 12:30-1:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Holden 114
Text and Topics: Introduction to Cryptography with Coding Theory (2nd edition) by W. Trappe and L. C. Washington.
Prerequisites for this course: Math 4175.
About Those Prerequisites: Math 4175 requires at least one mathematics course at or above the 3000 level, as well as knowledge of either a programming language (e.g. C, C++, Java) or a computer algebra system (e.g. Mathematica, Maple, or Magma). It is DANGEROUS to take Math 4176 without first satisfying the prerequisites!
What This Course Is About: One of the most important problems facing industry, individuals, colleges and governments is computer security. This course will provide an introduction to the theory and practice of cryptography: the science of protecting information against deliberate interference. The main emphasis will be on developing the mathematics required to understand the protocols occurring in the field, but we will also treat such topics as the design, complexity and implementation of algorithms.
Two major issues in cryptography are key management and authentication, i.e. constructing and transmitting keys in a secure manner and ensuring that the recipient can tell the identity of the sender. Public Key Cryptography was originally developed to deal with these two issues. Topics include an introduction to public key cryptography, the RSA Public Key Cryptosystem, factoring and primality testing, the Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange, the ElGamal Public Key Cryptosystem, the discrete log problem, hash functions, digital signatures, secret sharing, and elliptic curve cryptosystems. These correspond to material from Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, and 16 of the text.Evaluation: There will be two tests, each worth 2/9 of your grade. these tests are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, February 19 and Tuesday, April 8. There will be regular problem sets, worth 1/3 of your grade. A problem set is late after the end of class on the day it is due; late problem sets count zero. The final exam is worth 2/9 of your grade, and is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6 from 7:45 to 9:45 a.m. Giving or receiving assistance on the tests or final exam (except that specified by the instructor) is a violation of the honor code.
Final Exam -- due by noon on Tuesday, May 6
Problem Sets Policy: You may consult with others on the problem sets, but the work you hand in must reflect your own understanding of a particular problem. For the most part, this policy works very well, since much of what you learn about cryptography and cryptanalysis will come from conversations with your fellow students. However, I will change this policy -- reluctantly -- if it is being abused.
Late Work and Test Policy: A problem set is late after the end of class on the day it is due. Late problem sets count zero. I do not give make-up tests; however, I will substitute your final exam grade for at most one of your in-class tests, if such a substitution is to your advantage. You may not make up a missed final exam.
Grading: A percentage grade of 90, 80, 70 or 60 on any piece of work guarantees you a grade of A-, B-, C- or D-, respectively. Plusses and minuses are judgment calls and not subject to debate. Graduate students should note that the Graduate School converts any grade below C- to an F.
Honor System: The University Honor System is in effect for the in-class tests, the final exam and the graded problem sets.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE!! If you are not on the class roll that comes out after the last add date, immediately check your schedule at a terminal and start attending the proper section. For no forseeable reason (computer and registrar personnel mistakes included) will you be allowed to stay in the wrong section or to drop a section for which you are actually enrolled after the last drop date. By simply attending a section you will not be placed on its roll.