COMPSCI 727 : Cryptographic Management
Science
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
The course introduces the building blocks of cryptography and the use and deployment of cryptographic systems used in securing communications and data storage. It provides an overview of encryption algorithms and the technologies and systems that support them including symmetric key cryptography, public key infrastructure, digital signatures, and certificate technologies. As a part of this overview, this course will concentrate on the management issues of algorithm selection; encryption key generation, distribution, and revocation; and strategies for overcoming encryption security vulnerabilities and their associated breaches. The course also discusses best practices and compliance with national and international standards and explores the current research and developments in this area.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
Learning Outcomes
- Explain the concepts of symmetric cryptography, public-key cryptography, hash functions, and digital signature (Capability 3 and 4)
- Demonstrate an understanding of formal security notions and understand their relationship with actual attacks on real-world systems (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
- Describe several encryption and signature algorithms, and know when to use them (Capability 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Apply and manage cryptographic systems used in securing communications and data storage (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
- Identify management issues of the lifecycle of the crypto material (encryption key generation, distribution, and revocation) (Capability 3)
- Communicate technical ideas in both verbal and written form (Capability 4, 6 and 7)
- Be able to collaborate in a group and coordinate effort to develop and express key security concepts to an aucdience (Capability 7)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | 8% | Individual Coursework |
| Assignment 2 | 8% | Individual Coursework |
| Assignment 3 | 8% | Individual Coursework |
| Presentation | 10% | Group Coursework |
| Final Report | 16% | Group & Individual Coursework |
| Final Exam | 50% | Individual Examination |
| 6 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| Assignment 1 | ||||||||||
| Assignment 2 | ||||||||||
| Assignment 3 | ||||||||||
| Presentation | ||||||||||
| Final Report | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
Key Topics
- Symmetric Encryption - block and stream ciphers, modes of operation, hashing
- Asymmetric Encryption - RSA, Elgamal, Diffie-Hellman, Ellptic curves, PKI, Digital Signatures
- Security and attack models and countermeasures - IND-CCA
- Key Management and Distribution
- Crypto-systems
- bits, bytes, words, basic logic operations (and, or, not)
- basic algebra, laws of exponents, primes, functions
- algorithms, complexity
- computer programs, compilation, executables
- data structures, arrays, computer memory, cache
- operating systems
- networks
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 3 hours of lectures, 3 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 4 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is expected at scheduled activities to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including seminars will be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events including group discussions/tutorials.
Attendance on campus is required for the exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
- A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography, Dan Boneh and Victor ShoupLinks to an external site.
- Cryptography, An Introduction : Third Edition, Nigel P. Smart. Links to an external site.
- Everyday Cryptography, Keith M. Martin
- Cryptography engineering : design principles and practical applications, Niels Ferguson, Bruce Schneier, Tadayoshi Kohno
Student Feedback
During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.
At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.
Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.
- More worked examples relating to assignment or exam questions will be covered
- A larger focus will be placed on collaborative group work with requirements for the group seminar and final report being published earlier in the semester to allow students to prepare.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Copyright
The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.
You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.