ECE 598 NB - Advanced Applied Cryptography

Summer 2009 | Fall 2009 | Spring 2010 | Summer 2010
Official Description Subject offerings of new and developing areas of knowledge in electrical and computer engineering intended to augment the existing curriculum. See Class Schedule or departmental course information for topics and prerequisites. May be repeated in the same or separate terms if topics vary.
Hours 0 to 4 hours.
Subject Area Graduate Seminar and Thesis Research
Course Prerequisites Credit in CS 463
Course Directors Nikita Borisov
Description This course will explore advanced topics in applied cryptography, showcasing advanced cryptographic primitives, with an emphasis on those developed in the last 15 years, with examples of how they are used in building cryptographic protocols and systems. The aim is to develop a basic applied cryptography toolbox that students can use in their own research, but some coverage of primitive design and theoretical fundamentals will also be included.
Credit 4 hours
Topics
  • Introduction and review of cryptography
  • Security definitions and assumptions
  • CCA and RCCA
  • Homomorphic and commutative encryption
  • Bilinear maps and identity-based cryptography
  • Group and threshold schemes
  • Blind signatures and oblivious transfer
  • Zero-knowledge proofs
  • Bit commitments and hash chains
  • Key agreement
  • Private authentication
  • Perfect forward secrecy
  • Proof strategies
  • Elliptic-curve and other efficient schemes
Course Prerequisites CS 463 / ECE 424 or basic understanding of cryptography.
Texts Current papers from the literature.

Recommended:
O. Goldreich, Foundations of Cryptography, Volume II.