ECE9112 Security and Cryptography

This course covers a number of advanced “selected topics” in the field of cryptography and computer security. The first part of the course tackles the foundational question of how to define and analyze security of cryptographic protocols in a way that is appropriate for modern computer networks, and how to construct protocols that satisfy these security definitions. For this purpose, this course features a rigorous introduction to modern cryptography, with an emphasis on the fundamental cryptographic primitives of public-key encryption, digital signatures, pseudo-random number generation, and basic protocols and their computational complexity requirements. The second part of the course concentrates on the many challenges involved in building secure computer systems, from both theoretical and practical points of view. We will discuss various attack techniques and how to defend against them. Topics include in this second part include Network attacks and defenses, Operating system holes, application security (web, e-mail, databases), viruses, social engineering attacks, privacy, and digital rights management.

The course introduces to the basic concepts of computer security and cryptography. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Understand the threats to computer Security and how to defend against them
• Analyze and evaluate advanced cryptography algorithms
• Understand application security (e-mail, web, databases)
• Comprehend Operating System Holes and attacks with viruses through Social Engineering