Department of Computer Science

Cryptography studies how to perform computational tasks securely in
adversarial environments. It plays an important role in designing secure
systems. This is an introductory course that covers basic concepts and proof
techniques in this area, as well as some recent research trends. The course
is theoretical in nature, with emphasis on proofs and algorithmic
reductions, even when discussing applied topics. No prior background in
cryptography is assumed. However, students should have mathematical maturity
and be comfortable with definitions and proofs.