After successful completion of the course, students are able to understand the fundamental concepts in cryptography, used for encryption and authentication. They are familiar with the basic definitions in symmetric and public-key cryptography as well as the principle of provable security, the paradigm of modern cryptography. They have seen the most important constructions of cryptographic objects and several security proofs. In the exercises they have learned how to argue about the security of schemes. This course is a good basis to study advanced topics like cryptographic protocols.

• Information-theoretic security
• Computational security
• Private-key encryption
• Message authentication codes
• Hash functions
• Public-key cryptography
• Digital signature schemes

Presentation with slides via Zoom; homework assignments, presentation of the solved assignments, guided discussions.

ECTS Breakdown:
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24h lecture
18h self-study
  3h exam

24h tutorials
81h homework
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150h (6 ECTS)
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Recordings of the lectures will be made available; presence in the exercise units on Thursdays is mandatory.

The grade is composed of the number of solved homework assignments, presentations of the solutions in the exercise sessions and a final written exam on the presented topics.

Presence is not mandatory in the lecture part on Tuesday

The lecture mainly follows this textbook:
Jonathan Katz, Yehuda Lindell: Introduction to Modern Cryptography, Second Edition

No specific knowledge is required (the required concepts, e.g. from number theory, will be presented in the lectures); however mathematical maturity and the ability of coherent reasoning (essential for security proofs) is needed to solve the homework problems.