Winter semester 2023/2024
20-00-0018-iv Computersystemsicherheit
Content:
Part I: Cryptography
- Background in Mathematics for cryptography
- Security objectives: Confidentiality, Integrity, Authenticity
- Symmetric and Asymmetric Cryptography
- Hash functions and digital signatures
- Protocols for key distribution
Part II: IT-Security and Dependability
- Basic concepts of IT security
- Authentication and biometrics
- Access control models and mechanisms
- Basic concepts of network security
- Basic concepts of software security
- Dependable systems: error tolerance, redundancy, availability
Recommended:
Charles Pfleeger, Shari Lawrence Pfleeger: Security in Computing (5th edition); Prentice Hall 2015
Paul C. von Oorschot: Computer Security and the Internet – Tools and Jewels from Malware to Bitcoin (Second Edition); Springer 2021
20-00-0085-iv Introduction to Cryptography
Content:
Perfect Security
– Different definitions
– One Time Pad and its security
– Limitations
Private Key Encryption
– Computationally secure Priv. Key Encryption
– Pseudo Random Generators (PRG)
– Building secure Encryption scheme from PRG
– Practical PRGs – Stream Ciphers
– Stronger security notions
– Pseudo Random Functions (PRF)
– CPA security
– Pseudorandom Permutation (PRP) and Block Cipher
– Practical construction of Block Ciphers
Message Authentication Codes
Hash Functions
Cryptographic Assumptions
Key Agreement
Introduction to Public Key Encryption
Public Key Encryption Schemes – RSA
Signatures
Recommended:
Jonathan Katz, Yehuda Lindell: Introduction to Modern Cryptography
A graduate course on applied cryptography
Summer semester 2023
20-00-1010-iv Blockchain Technology
Content:
Main concepts of blockchain technologies:
- Cryptographic building blocks: cryptographic hash functions, signatures, commitments.
- Distributed systems and fault tolerance
- Broadcast and consensus protocols
- Introduction to Bitcoin and Nakamoto consensus
- Mining, Incentives and Wallets
- Anonymity and Privacy of blockchains
- Attacks on cryptocurrencies
- Smart contracts and applications
- Scalability of blockchains
- Blockchain ecosystem (in particular DeFi and atlcoins)
Recommended:
Lecture on “Introduction to Cryptography / Einführung in die Kryptographie” or comparable knowledge
20-00-1146-se Recent Trends in Cryptographic Research
Content:
In this seminar, we will introduce recent research trends in cryptography. The students will learn how to read/understand research papers and present them to others. We will focus on topics that were presented at recent conferences for cryptographic research. A selection of possible topics is given below:
- Distributed cryptography, where the cryptographic task (e.g., signing or encryption) is distributed among a large number of machines.
- Zero-knowledge proof systems to prove that a statement is true without revealing anything beyond the statement.
- Provable secure countermeasures against side-channel attacks to protect devices against physical attacks exploiting, e.g., the power consumption or running time of a device.
- Post-quantum cryptography that protects cryptographic schemes against quantum adversaries.
We will present a short introduction to these topics during the kick-off meeting, and provide the students with a list of possible research papers. We will also give some guidelines into how to structure your presentation and provide close guidance in understanding the material of the papers.
At the end of this course, you will be able to understand a complex research topic in cryptography and present the content of the paper to other students. This is good preparation for a Master thesis/PhD in cryptography and provides you with first insight into the scientific work at the university.
Recommended:
Introduction to Cryptography (mandatory), ideally additionally some other courses on cryptography (desirable).
