Program Overview

Master Praktikum: Cryptography

The Master Praktikum in Cryptography explores the relationship between randomness and computation, based on three interconnected domains: modern cryptography, probabilistic proofs, and pseudorandomness. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of foundational principles and methodologies of cryptography and have the opportunity to engage in the development of cryptographic projects, using the concepts discussed in the lecture.

Overview

The course is designed to provide a thorough understanding of cryptography, including modern cryptography, probabilistic proof systems, and pseudorandom generators. Students will work in teams to deliver a presentation on relevant research articles, implement a cryptographic project, and participate in a code review process.

Organization

• The course consists of 2+2 hours per week.
• Lecture: Lydia Kondylidou
• Tutorial: Tanguy Bozec
  • The course is divided into two parts: an introductory part and a project phase.
  • In the first part, participants will receive an introduction to modern cryptography, probabilistic proof systems, and pseudorandom generators.
  • In the project phase, students will work in teams of 3 to deliver a presentation, implement a cryptographic project, and participate in a code review process.
• Evaluation will be based on the research, the functionality and security of the application, the effective use of cryptographic concepts and probabilistic proof systems, the robustness of pseudorandomness implementations, and the clarity of documentation.
• Participation is limited to 30 master students.

Schedule

• Tutorial: Monday 14:00 - 16:00
• Lecture: Thursday 14:00 - 16:00

Material

• Tutorials on the Foundations of Cryptography
• Modern Cryptography, Probabilistic Proofs and Pseudorandomness
• Pseudorandom Generators

Additional Recommended Reading

• N. Alon and J.H. Spencer: The Probabilistic Method. John Wiley Sons, Inc., 1992.
• O. Goldreich, Computational Complexity: A Conceptual Perspective, Cambridge University Press, 2008.
• R. Motwani and P. Raghavan: Randomized Algorithms. Cambridge University Press, 1995.
• R. Shaltiel: Recent Developments in Explicit Constructions of Extractors. In Current Trends in Theoretical Computer Science: The Challenge of the New Century, Vol 1: Algorithms and Complexity, World Scientific, 2004.