Course Description - CSCI 531, Spring 2016

Focus		Late Policy		Fairness
CS 530 & CS 556		Note From A Doctor		Auditing
Textbooks		Regrade Policy		E-mail
Syllabus / Topics Covered		Office Hours		Academic Integrity Policy
Homework Assignments		Extra Credit		Diversity Statement
Exams		Implicit Student Agreement		Academic Calendar
Grading		Student Responsibilities		Additional Resources

This course will provide an intensive overview of the field of cryptography, providing a historical perspective on early systems, building to the number theoretic foundations of modern day cryptosystems. Students will learn how cryptosystems are designed, and to match cryptosystems to the needs of an application. Students will also study basic cryptanalysis and will be presented with real life breaches of common cryptosystems so that they better understand the dangers that lurk in cryptosystem design and in the design of systems that rely on cryptography.

Please note that this is a Computer Science class and not a "tech class", i.e., it is not about the latest products and standards. The course material and assignments are meant to give students background in understanding the cryptographic techniques used in the current products and standards.

CS 556 should be viewed as a "fundamnetal" cryptography class with emphasis on the theoretic side of cryptography. CS 531 is a more "introductory" cryptography class with emphasis on the applied side of cryptography (less emphasis on mathetical proofs). Almost all mathematical theorems presented in CS 531 will be introduced as facts and without rigorous proofs. For CS 531, there are no written homework assignments. All homeworks assignments are programming assignments.

There is about a two-week overlap between the Applied Cryptograph class and CS 530.

• A. J. Menezes, P. C. Van Oorschot, S. A. Vanstone, Handbook of Applied Cryptography, CRC Press, 1996.
  (An online version of this book is available at http://www.cacr.math.uwaterloo.ca/hac/. In order to save some trees, please do not print out the whole book because we are not covering the whole book! Also, please make sure you follow the Copyright Notice there.)

• B. Schneier, Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 1995.
  (We will use this book in the last few weeks of the semester. This book is probably out of print, but you should be able to find used ones.)
• N. Koblitz, A Course in Number Theory and Cryptography, 2nd Edition, Springer, 1994.
  (We will not use this book in class. But if you are not comfortable with Number Theory, this may be useful book to start to get you warmed up.)

• Wk 1-3: Overview of Cryptography (HAC Ch 1)
  • Introduction to various cryptographic concepts
  • Attacks
  • Security models
• Wk 4-5: Block Ciphers (HAC Ch 7)
  • Classical ciphers and their cryptanalysis
  • Modes of operations
  • DES
• Wk 6-7: AES
  • Math background for AES (HAC Ch 2)
  • The AES Block Cipher (FIPS publication 197)
• Wk 8: Public-key Parameters (HAC Ch 4)
  • Legendre and Jacobi symbols
  • Primality tests (Fermat.s test, Miller-Rabin test, AKS test)
  • Generating probable prime numbers
  • Generating provable prime numbers
• Wk 9: Public Key Cryptography
  • Number-theoretic Reference Problems (HAC Ch 3)
    • Integer factorization
    • RSA problem
    • Diffie-Hellman problem
    • Square root modulo n problem
    • Discrete logarithm problem
  • Public-key Encryption (HAC Ch 8)
    • Chinese remainder theorem and residue number system
    • RSA public-key encryption
    • Diffie-Hellman key exchange
    • ElGamal public-key encryption
    • Rabin public-key encryption
• Wk 10: Pseudorandom Generators and Stream Ciphers
  • Pseudorandom Bits and Sequences (HAC Ch 5)
    • Normal and Chi-square distributions
    • Five basic statistical tests for randomness
    • Cryptographically secure pseudorandom bit generators
  • Stream Ciphers (HAC Ch 6)
    • LFSR (Linear Feedback Shift Register)
    • Non-linear FSR
    • Stream ciphers based on LFSR
    • RC4
• Wk 11: Hash Functions and Digital Signatures
  • Hash Functions and Data Integrity (HAC Ch 9)
    • MAC (message authentication code)
    • MDC (modification detection code)
    • OWHF (one-way hash function)
    • CRHF (collision resistant hash function)
    • Yuval.s birthday attack
    • Breaking of hash functions
  • Digital Signatures (HAC Ch 11)
    • RSA signature scheme
    • Fiat-Shamir signature scheme
    • ElGamal signature scheme
    • One-time signature schemes
• Wk 12: Authentication & Key Management (HAC Ch 10, 12, 13)
• Wk 13-15: Cryptographic Protocols
  • Basic cryptographic protocols (AC Ch 3)
  • Intermediate cryptographic protocols (AC Ch 4)
  • Advanced cryptographic protocols (AC Ch 5)
  • Esoteric cryptographic protocols (AC Ch 6)

Exam Frequently Asked Questions

There are two types of exam questions that I usually ask. The first type is numerical and you need to calculate something (usually arithematics with small integers). I have provided some practice problems for the midterm exam and some practice problems for the final exam (access restricted for both). In general, you need to show your work so I know how you got your answers. If you just give a numerical answer without any justification, you may not get any credit.

The second type is to ask you to give the best answer for a word question. (If a question says, "In N words or less...", it's giving you a hint that the answer should be N words or less. You don't have to answer in N words or less. There is one exception though. If the question is of the fill-in-the-blanks type where N is small, then you must not use more than N words.)

For this type of question, you get credit for including the "best answer". You may get deductions for including "bad answers". What you need to demonstrate is that you can distinguish between answers of different quality and write down the best answer. (For these questions, there is no need to write complete English sentences when you answer exam questions. Just give me the important stuff!)

An example is, "In N words or less, what is the definition of X." You get full credit if you include all the important words in the definition of X and don't mention anything incorrect. The more of the important words you missed, the less partial credit you will get.

Exam Grading

In general, better answers may score more points. If you give very high level and generic answer that's generally true or basically just repeat the question, you probably will get very little partial credit for it! You need to answer a specific question with a specific answer. On the other hand, if the question called for a general answer and the answer you gave only applies to some specific examples, you probably will get very little partial credit for your answer. You must not give examples to answer general questions.

If I asked a question straight from the lecture slides, the best/correct answer is the one on the lecture slides. If you disagree with what's on the slides, you must complain when you are studying for the exam, i.e., before the exam. Once the exam starts, it's too late to complain that you don't like the answer on the lecture slides. In an exam, if you give an answer that's different from the lecture slides, you may receive partial credits, at the discretion the TA. Finally, I reserve the right to ask about things that I think you should know and not on lecture slides.

Participation:		4%	(extra credit)
Homeworks:		35%
Quizes:		0%
Midterm Exam:		30%
Final Exam:		35%

Two methods will be used to calculate your final letter grade:

(1)		Use a modified curve (i.e., we won't necessarily assign an equal number of failing grades as passing grades) based on the numeric score calculated above
(2)		Use the following fixed scale (to encourage cooperation and friendly association amongst students): Percentage Letter Grade 91% or higher A 82-91% A- 73-82% B+ 64-73% B 55-64% B- 46-55% C+ 37-46% C 28-37% C- below 28% F

Pleaes also note the following:

• No other methods will be considered. (So, please do not ask the instructor to take how much you have improved since the beginning of the semester into account. You are expected to try your best from the beginning!)

• According to the above guidelines, it should be clear that it is possible to get a grade of C or below for individuals who perform very poorly (i.e., you should not assume a B- or even C+ if you perform very poorly, according to the guidelines above.) However, we hope that everyone will perform well.

• We will not assign incompletes unless it is for a documented illness or family emergency (in accordance with USC policy).

If you are unable to complete a homework assignment due to illness or family emergency, please see the instructor as soon as possible to get an extension. A doctor's note is required as proof of illness or emergency. In general, when you get sick, it's best to see a doctor and get a note just in case you may need it later.

So, if you visit a doctor at the Student Health Center, please make sure you fill out one of these forms, check the "limited discussion with faculty" checkbox, get it stamped, signed, and dated by someone there (a clerk/receptionist would sign at the "witness" line), and bring it back to me. This would satisfy the "note from a doctor" requirement so that you can get an extension.

If you visit a doctor somewhere else, please either bring a "note from the doctor" or a similar authrozation letter so I can contact them.

If you need to see me outside of office hours, it's best that you make an appointment (and reserve a timeslot) so I can make sure to be in my office when you visit. Making an appointment is not a big deal! Just send an e-mail to me and tell me when you are available to meet and go from there.

This policy also holds for programming assignments. In this class, we will use sophisticated automated program checkers to detect cheating. Be aware that the program checkers have demonstrated very good results and are widely used within the academic community. Any student caught cheating will be given zero credit and will be disciplined.

It is the students responsibility to submit their assignments in time.

There is no specific prerequisites for this course, but students are expected to be familiar with programming in C/C++ on the UNIX platform. No special assistance or consideration will be offered if your background is inadequate.

You are expected to read all the papers in detail. Not all details will be covered in class.  We will assume knowledge of material covered in EE450 and a C language programming proficiency from CSci402 or its equivalent. If you covered the introductory material at some other school it is YOUR responsibility to fill in any missing background. Feel free to ask me for advice on appropriate introductory readings if you feel your background is insufficient.

We expect you to attend every class meeting. If you do happen to miss a session, you are responsible for finding out what material was covered and if any administrative announcements were made. You must do so BEFORE the next session (e.g., if there is an assignment given during the missed session, you are still responsible for completing it by the next week along with the other students).  You are advised to read the papers for a particular lecture before attending the lecture. This will greatly enhance your understanding of the subject matter.

Pretty much all class related announcements will be sent through the class Google Group. Therefore, you are required to be a member of this Google Group. As messages are posted to the class Google Group, you will receive e-mail notifications and you should read all these class-related e-mails. Please see instructions on how to get on this group (you should do this as soon as possible).

You are strongly encouraged to send private e-mail messages to me if you have questions about programming assignments or lectures. If the answer is appropriate for the entire class, I would normally anonymize the reply and send the reply through the class Google Group and bcc a copy to you. So, please don't be shy to ask questions!

One type of question I often get over e-mail or see in the class Google Group is:

Here is my understanding of X. Am I right (or is this correct)? Correct me if I'm wrong...

Another type of question I often get is the following:

I am thinking about not following the spec or grading guidelines and would like to do this instead. Is it acceptable (or is this okay)?

• OpenSSL
• AES

Programming:

• C Programming (by Steve Holmes at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, England) - includes notes on make, separate compilation, file I/O, etc.
• Makefile tutorial (at Colby College)
• Steve's Software Trek (by Steve Karg) - includes some useful C/C++ source code for string manipulation, INI file manipulation, etc.
• C Examples - lots and lots of sample C code for basic stuff.
• C/C++ at USC from USC ITSWeb
• Online Judge online portal for IT interview

• Ubuntu Linux
• cygwin (BSD system with X11R6 on Windows XP)
• Some Often-used UNIX Commands
• Unix commands (more complete, from University of Utah)
• UNIX Shell Programming (Chapter 2 of this book gives a good introduction to UNIX)
• UNIXhelp for Users from the University of Edinburgh
• UNIX Tutorial for Beginners from the University of Surrey
• Introduction to the Unix Shell from the Canisius College
• Introduction to C Shell Programming from the Canisius College
• C/C++ Documentation (compiling, linking, additional libraries, include files) from USC ITSWeb
• Understanding C by learning assembly
• UNIX Documentation (concepts, commands, X-Windows) from USC ITSWeb
• Editors on most UNIX systems
  • Vi Text Editor Documentation from USC ITSWeb
  • EMACS Text Editor Documentation from USC ITSWeb
  • Pico Text Editor Documentation from USC ITSWeb
• Beej's Quick Guide to GDB
• Richard Stallman's gdb Tutorial
• General information on operating systems, productivity applications, Internet connectivity, e-mail and web publishing at USC, can be found at the ITS software site. You can click on your operating system and download useful software from there. For example, for the Windows platform, you can find things like X-Win32, FileZilla, and PuTTY there.