CS 410/510 - Topics in Cryptography - Spring 2006
Course Information Sheet
April 2, 2006
You are responsible for everything on this handout. Please read it.
What's This Course About??
This is a seminar course. We're
going to explore various areas of modern cryptography by reading
papers and presenting them in class. Ideally, you will have had some
exposure to cryptography already; for example, by taking CS 485/585 or
an equivalent course at another university.
The main focus this quarter is: Hash Functions.
I'd like to hit various aspects of hash functions themselves, as well as
the ways that they impact cryptographic protocols. Here are some example
topics to cover:
- hash function definitions/basics
- blockcipher-based constructions (especially double-length)
- the Merkle-Damgard paradigm and alternatives
- attacks on MDx and SHAx families
- algebraic hash functions
- the Random Oracle Model and its pros/cons
- the leftover-hash lemma and applications to key derivation, etc.
- privacy amplification via hashing
- the hash Diffie-Hellman assumption
- hash-and-sign signature schemes
- perfect one-way hash functions
The class will be small, informal, friendly, and (I hope) stimulating!
Because this is a seminar-style class, we can be a bit flexible with
meeting times --- I know already there are a few days when I'll be
traveling to conferences.
Meetings
TR 1000-1150 (SEH 108)
Instructor
Grading
Everyone is expected to get an A.
(That is, I'm assuming everyone will work hard and participate.)
Attendance is required, although you can miss up to two classes
without an excuse with no penalty. You will be required to read
and present papers and to participate in group discussions.
You will also be required to write a summary of one group of papers.
Textbook
No Textbook. We will use several on-line resources as we progress through
the class. You may choose to print these out if you work better that way.
Course Web page
We will maintain useful information on the course
web page:
http://www.cs.pdx.edu/~teshrim/spring06/courses-510.html
Visit the above page regularly to see what's new.