CECS 579

Information Security

Spring 2017

Course Meeting Time and Location

TuTh 5-6:15PM VEC-330

 

Instructor

Dr. Mehrdad Aliasgari

Email: mehrdad.aliasgari at csulb.edu

Office: ECS-539

Office hours: Wednesdays 2-3pm and Thursdays 1-2pm or by appointment

 

Required Textbook 

Introduction to Modern Cryptography, Second Edition  by J. Katz, Y. Lindell, 2014.

 

Optional books  

"Cryptography Engineering: Design Principles and Practical Applications", 1st edition by N. Ferguson, B. Schneier, T. Kohno,  2010.

"Understanding Cryptography: A Textbook for Students and Practitioners", 1st edition by C. Paar, J. Pelzl, 2010.

"Handbook of Applied Cryptography (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)", 1st edition by  A. Menezes, P. van Oorschot, S. Vanstone 1996.
 

Course Goals

This course aims to provide an introduction to various fundamental cryptographic tools with security specification of each tool. By the end of semester students will have the ability to design and develop system security using such cryptographic tools.

 

Course Topics

·       Introduction and classical cryptosystems

·       Private key encryption: definition and implications

·       Pseudorandom Number Generator and Stream Cipher

·       Chosen Plaintext / Ciphertext Security, Pseudorandom Functions, Pseudorandom Permutations, Modes of Operation of a Block Cipher

·       Message Authentication Codes (MACs), Collision Resistant Hash functions

·       One-Way Functions, Number Theory and Cryptographic Hardness Assumptions

·       Key Distribution and Diffie-Hellman scheme

·       Public-Key Encryption (El-Gamal and RSA)

·       Digital Signature Schemes

Grading

Your final grades are comprised of the following components: Class Participation 10%, Quizzes 20%, Homework 20%, Survey Report and Presentation 20%, Project Reports and Final Presentation 30%.

Quizzes/Homework are due at the beginning of a class with no exception. All assignments are done individually. There is no late submission.

Please note that all course materials are distributed through BeachBoard.

Document submission is done only via Dropbox in BeachBoard. No material will be accepted if submitted via email or hardcopy. There is no late submission. All of your materials have to be TYPED.

Survey

Each student chooses a cryptographic topic and prepares a survey paper. This is meant to be survey of recent advances on one of the open and interesting topics related to cryptography and computer security. The topic has to be confirmed by the instructor. Students will research their topic and identify core previous works in the area. The survey paper should include a clear description and importance justification of the topic, short and clear description of core works, a very clear classification of previous core works and more importantly a through and complete comparison (e.g., advantages vs. disadvantages) of previous core works. The paper should end with the student's conclusion. It should be clear that a survey paper is not a "core dump of a bunch of papers". Survey paper and presentation is done individually by each student. Please refer to BeachBoard (under Content) for more information.

 

Final Project

This is a large course project done in a group of two students or individually. Project proposals are due in a few weeks. Talk to the instructor for help. Code implementation and documentation is required and you need to use cryptographic libraries in your project. A final presentation is expected at the end of the semester along with individual reports. Please refer to BeachBoard (under Content) for more information.

Exam Schedule

There is no exam in this course, however, we will meet in class on:

Thursday, May 18 from 5:00PM - 7:00PM

Attendance Policy

Attendance is required since part of your final grade depends on class participation, quizzes and homework.

Note: There will be no make-ups for missed quizzes or homework.

 

Student Feedback

Please feel free to contact the instructor to share any concern or opinion about the course throughout the semester. There will be anonymous surveys conducted via BeachBoard as a means of having students' voice heard (anonymously). Your participation is highly encouraged.

 

Academic Integrity and Dishonesty

Please read here.

Read here for cheating and plagiarism and their definitions.
 

It is the student's responsibility to familiarize themselves with what constitutes cheating or plagiarism through the above university articles or other accepted tools. There is zero tolerance for cheating or plagiarism. Any act that is to be deemed cheating or plagiarism may result in failing the course and at the minimum losing a considerable portion of the final grade.

Withdrawal Policy

Please read here.

Emergency Preparedness Instructions

Please read here.

Disabilities

DISABLED STUDENT SERVICES is a student support program within the Student Services Division. Our mission is to assist students with disabilities as they secure their university degrees at California State University, Long Beach. We provide services to over 13,000 students each semester. Over 3,000 students with disabilities have graduated from CSU Long Beach with support from our program.
The Disabled Student Services office is located on the 2nd floor in the Administration Building, room SS/AD 270.

It is your responsibility to notify the instructor in advance of any need for special accommodation due to a university verified disability.