IERG4150 Introduction to Cryptography (Fall 2023)

🌕/🌒
Instructor: Sherman S. M. Chow
Teaching Assistant: PAN Ying-yu, SHB726, py022
(@ie.cuhk.edu.hk)

Basic Information

Cryptography is essential in many cyber security goals and many application domains. This course introduces students with a foundation of theory of cryptography and its application, including introductions to number theory, symmetric-key cryptography, public-key cryptography, and a brief overview of the research advances.
  • Time and Venue:
    • 2:30PM - 4:15PM, Tuesday, Lady Shaw Bldg (LSB) LT3
    • 1:30PM - 2:15PM, Thursday, William M W Mong Eng Bldg (ERB) 803
  • Tutorial Session (for revision, optional but recommended):
    • from 26/9: 1:30pm-2:15pm, Tuesday, Venue: ERB 713
  • Current Class composition: BSc(CS), BEng(IE), MSc(IE)
  • "Prerequisites": basic modular arithmetic, discrete probabilities, simple combinatorics, familiarity with logics, proofs, and the concept of algorithm's time complexity
  • Students who have taken IERG4130, or other ECLT, IEMS courses on cryptography can also take this class.

Schedule

  1. 5/9: O. Overview, Logistics
    7/9: I. One Time Pad and its Security Proof
    [Reading: Preface, Chapter 0]
  2. 12, 14/9: One-Time Pad (cont.)
    II. The Basics of Provable Security
  3. 19, 21/9: Provable Security (cont.), III. Secret Sharing
    [Slides: 2-otp-proof, 3-xor-sss]
  4. 26/9, 28/9: Secret Sharing (fin.)
    IV. Basing Cryptography on Intractable Computation
    [Assignment 1 released]
  5. 3/10: Basing Cryptography on Intractable Computation (fin.)
    5/10: V. Pseudorandom Generators
    [Slides: 5-potp-proof, 5-prg-feedback]
  6. 10/10: VI. Pseudorandom Functions
    12/10: Pseudorandom Permutation
  7. 19/20: VII. Chosen Plaintext Attacks [Slides: 7-prf-cpa]
    [Assignment 2 released]
  8. 24, 26/10: VIII. Block Cipher Modes of Operation
    IV. Chosen Ciphertext Attacks (maybe "challenging")
  9. 31/10: [Mid-term examination]
    2/11: Chosen Ciphertext Attacks (fin.)
    X. Message Authentication Code
  10. 7/11: Message Authentication Code (fin.)
    [Slides: 10-enc-then-mac]]
    9/11: [Congregation, class suspended] (XII is skipped!)
  11. 14, 16/11: XI: Hash Function
    XIII: RSA & Digital Signatures (maybe "challenging")
    [Assignment 3 released]
  12. 21/11: XIII: RSA Signatures
    XIV: Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement
    23/11: XV: Public-Key Encryption [Slides: 15-hybrid-enc]
  13. 28, 30/11: [Early Conclusion; No class]

Workload and Link

Textbook [Required, but free]:

Workload:

  1. 3 Written Assignments [check Blackboard] (40%)
  2. Mid-Term Exam [Scope: Chapter 0 - 7] (20%)
  3. Final Exam [Scope: Chapter 0 - 11, 13 - 15] (40%)
  4. Piazza Participation (tiny bonus for the top 10% who contributed most)
Leisure Reading: Prior Offering: Standard Stuff: