Instructor: William R. Nico
Office: Robinson 239
Phone: (510)885-3386
E-mail: nico@csueastbay.edu (from any mcs machine just ``nico'' will do)
Web:www.mcs.csueastbay.edu/~nico
Office hours: MW 1:00--2:30 p.m. or by appointment.
Text: William Stallings, Cryptography and Network Security, Principles and Practice, Fourth Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006.
Recommended: B. Schneier, Applied Cryptography, Second Edition, John Wiley, 1995.

This course will deal with the basic problems of data security including privacy, integrity, and authenticity. Cryptography and cryptographic protocols play a central role in dealing with these problems. Topics to be covered include:

• Mathematical background for cryptography (probability, information theory, modular arithmetic, finit fields, computational complexity)
• Cryptographic algorithms (ciphers vs. codes, stream vs. block ciphers, transposition systems, symmetric vs. asymmetric algorithms including DES, AES, RSA, and others)
• Cryptographic systems (key management, digital signatures, passwords)
• Access and information-flow control, including standards such as TCSEC and the Common Criteria
• Related topics, such as inference control in statistical databases, and interactive proof systems with applications to authentication.

The exact time allotted to various topics will depend on the background and interest of the class.

There will be regular written homework, a mid-term exam, a final exam, and an extended review of a recent research paper (whether this will be written or oral will depend, in part, on the preference of the class); the paper will be chosen from the published research literature by mutual agreement between the student and instructor.

Grading: The course grade will be computed roughly as follows. (The dates of the midterms are subject to change. Any changes will be announced in class.)

Late homework will not be accepted. Homework is to be turned in at the beginning of class on the due date. Homework is to represent individual efforts! Any work not your own, e.g., results obtained from reference sources, should receive appropriate bibliographic citations. Plagiarism will be subject to appropriate penalties, as described under Academic Dishonesty in the catalog.

Written work: Any written work submitted for the course, including in-class tests, must be done in ink!

Make-up policy: Make-up tests will be considered only in unusual circumstances, and then only if arrangements have been made in advance.