We teach various modules and supervise student projects on cryptography.
Introduction to Cryptography and Security Mechanisms
This module is part of the MSc Information Security develops an understanding of the uses of cryptography. It looks at the basic cryptographic mechanisms used to provide core security services and examine differences between them, identifying situations in which they are most usefully employed. It considers the issues that need to be addressed to secure an application, and evaluate the limitations of cryptography and methods for supporting it within a full security architecture.
Applications of Cryptography
This module is part of the BSc/MSCi Computer Science (Information Security) and develops an understanding of the fundamentals behind cryptography and how it is deployed in real systems. It looks at a range of security services that can be provided by cryptography and the mechanisms behind them, such as symmetric and public-key encryption, hash functions, MACs, digital signatures and authentication protocols. It considers the architecture of security systems using cryptography, including key management, implementation issues, cryptographic standards and crypto politics, and examines real-world applications such as 3G, EMV, and SSL/TLS.
Public-Key Cryptography
This module is part of the MSc Mathematics of Cryptography and Communications and develops an understanding of the mathematical ideas that underpin public key cryptography, such as discrete logarithms, lattices and elliptic curves. It looks at the RSA and Rabin cryptosystems, the hard problems on which their security relies, and attacks on them. It considers finite fields, elliptic curves, and the discrete logarithm problem. It examines security notions and attack models relevant for modern theoretical cryptography, such as indistinguishability and adaptive chosen ciphertext-attack. It will also cover implementing cryptosystems and cryptanalytic methods using software such as Mathematica.
Student Projects
We supervise projects in the MSc Information Security, MSc Mathematics of Cryptography and Communications and BSc/MSCi Computer Science (Information Security). We list some example project ideas here, but students are encouraged to get in touch to discuss any project related to cryptography.