Cryptography
Keywords |
Classification |
Keyword |
OFICIAL |
Computer Science |
Instance: 2017/2018 - 1S
Cycles of Study/Courses
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
Cryptography has evolved, in the as decades, from an obscure branch of knowledge used only by military departments and spies to an essential component of digital communication and software writing. With the dematerialisation of a large number of human activities, it is crucial to use cryptography to ensure a large set of properties that are inherent to "real life" activities. This is why cryptography has such an essential role both in internet protocols as in other digital communication systems.
The objective is:
1- Understand the security problem with computer networks as well as security problems in general.
2 - To get acquainted to a sufficient large set of cryptographic protocols such that it is possible to port "real life" activities to the digital realm.
3- The study of cryptographic algorithms and their possible applications.
Learning outcomes and competences
At the end of the course, the students are expected to:
1- Choose what protocols and products should be used, both at the role of users and at the role of system or network administrators.
2- Analyse, modify, choose and implement the necessary protocols to the implementation of a practical solution for a problem.
3- Implement the cryptographic algorithms studied during the course.
4- Implement some attacks to some of the algorithms and protocols studied.
Working method
Presencial
Program
Crypographic protocols. Classic Cryptography and Cryptanalysis. Mono-alphabetic and poly-alphabetic substitution cyphers. Transposition cyphers. Electromechanical cyphers: the enigma and Lorentz. Block cypher. Feistel cyphers. DES and AES. Symetric cypher algorithms. Public Key crypto-systems. Random generators. Cryptographic hash functions. Quantum cryptography and cryptanalysis.
Mandatory literature
000074429. ISBN: 978-0-471-11709-4 pbk
000002076. ISBN: 978-3-540-60418-1
000053896. ISBN: 0-8493-8523-7
Teaching methods and learning activities
Problems related with the subject of the course are introduced, as well as the known solutions for these problems. After this, students are challenged either to implement some of the algorithms studied in the course in the context of a concrete application, or to perform some attack to a particular application.
Evaluation Type
Distributed evaluation with final exam
Assessment Components
designation |
Weight (%) |
Exame |
70,00 |
Trabalho prático ou de projeto |
30,00 |
Total: |
100,00 |
Amount of time allocated to each course unit
designation |
Time (hours) |
Estudo autónomo |
39,00 |
Frequência das aulas |
39,00 |
Total: |
78,00 |
Calculation formula of final grade
Grade of the final exam (70%), grade of the homework (30%)
Classification improvement
Final exam