Mathematics BA (B), Cryptography, 7.5 Credits

Aim

The aim of the course is to give students an introduction to cryptography. We shall study substitution and other traditional ciphers as well as public-key cryptography, one of the major inventions of the twentieth century.

Content

History and basic concepts, including plaintext, ciphertext, key, substitution and other classic ciphers. Statistical attacks on ciphers. Shannon’s Theorem. An introduction to public-key cryptography, including digital signatures. Further modular arithmetic. The RSA cipher, Diffie-Hellman key exchange and an introduction to elliptic curve cryptography.

Selection rules and procedures

The selection process is in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance and the local order of admission.

Examination form

S101: Group seminars, 1.5 Credits
Grade scale: Fail (U) or Pass (G)

T102: Written exam, 6.0 Credits
Grade scale: Seven-grade scale, A, B, C, D, E, Fx and F. Fx and F represent fail levels.

Grading system

Seven-grade scale, A, B, C, D, E, Fx and F. Fx and F represent fail levels.