Rochester Institute of Technology

Department of Computing Security

CSEC-604
Cryptography and Authentication
Course Syllabus
REMINDER: The information presented in this syllabus is subject to expansion, change, or modification
during the semester!

Instructor:
Dr. Sumita Mishra
Office: Bldg. 70-2128
( 475.4475
. sumita.mishra@rit.edu
Office Hours: Posted on myCourses

Course Rules:
Caveat In addition to the information in this syllabus, be sure to read all the other related
documents posted on myCourses. You are responsible for knowing the rules of the
classroom.
Prerequisites Discrete Mathematics (MATH-190 or MATH-131 or equivalent)
myCourses myCourses will be used for the posting of your grades, additional readings, questions,
discussions, assignments and any class announcements. myCourses dropbox will be
used for the submissions of project reports and assignments.
Description In this course, students will learn in depth knowledge of cryptography and
authentication. Students will explore various cryptography algorithms, authentication
protocols, and their design and implementation. Students will work on a project to
implement a cryptography algorithm and/or an authentication protocol. The
applications of cryptography and authentications in the areas of computer networks
and systems and information assurance will also be investigated.
Textbook & 1. Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, William Stallings,
other references Pearson Education Inc., 2014
(Recommended) 2. Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Bruce
Schneier, John Wiley & Sons, 2015
3. Information Security: Principles and Practices, Mark Stamp, John Wiley & Sons,
2011
4. Network Security: Private Communication in a PUBLIC World, 2nd edition,
Charlie Kaufman, Radia Perlman and Mike Speciner, Prentice Hall, 2002
5. Other readings via handouts, website reference, or other means may be assigned
throughout the quarter.
Grade Quizzes/Assignments 10%
Calculation Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 30%
Project proposal 5%
Final project paper 12.5%
Final Project presentation 12.5%
Attendance and Participation 5%

Grade dispute Computing Security department policy states that a student has one semester to
challenge any grade. After that, grades cannot be challenged.

CSEC-604 Syllabus 1 Mishra

 Rochester Institute of Technology
Department of Computing Security
Grading
Rubric Range Grade
93% - 100% A
90% - 92.99% A-
87% - 89.99% B+
83% - 86.99% B
80% - 82.99% B-
77% - 79.99% C+
73% - 76.99% C
70% - 72.99% C-
60% - 69.99% D
0% - 59.99% F

Written Exams The written exams will contain a mixture of multiple-choice, true/false and short
answer questions. A crib sheet will be allowed unless otherwise stated prior to the
exam. A crib sheet is a single 8 1/2 x 11 inches’ sheet of paper (single sided for
midterm, double sided for finals). The crib sheet MUST be hand written, not typed.
Your crib sheet MUST contain your name at the top and MUST be handed in at the
end of the exam. Crib sheets must be an individual effort. If two or more students
hand in identical crib sheets, this constitutes academic dishonesty and will be dealt
with by a failing grade for the course. Failure to observe the rules on the crib sheet
will result in an F grade for the course.
Quizzes and Announced quizzes (administered through myCourses) will be given throughout the
Assignments semester. Other homework assignments may be given. Late submissions will NOT be
accepted for any reason. Online quizzes are individual effort. Any evidence of
collusion will lead to an F grade for the course.
Research/Imple Based on the topics introduced in the lectures (or a topic approved by the instructor),
mentation the students will formulate a plan and conduct independent research on the identified
Project topic or work on an implementation project. The project will be done in groups of
two. The research findings/implementation results will be presented to the class. Also,
a comprehensive report/paper in based on the research/implementation findings is
required. Details of the project requirements can be found in the additional document
posted on myCourses (Paper and Presentation guidelines).
Note regarding You are responsible for verifying that your work is in the appropriate dropbox on time
electronic and has been received. It is recommended when submitting an assignment to
submissions myCourses that you refresh your browser when finished submitting, and check that
your assignment is listed as submitted and received. There are NO exceptions due to
“technical failures” when communicating or submitting electronically. If you claim a
failure based upon some technical failure, you must provide credible evidence of that
failure. Otherwise you will receive a grade of zero for unsubmitted work, even if you
“were sure” you submitted on time. KEEP BACKUPS of all work!

CSEC-604 Syllabus 2 Mishra

 Rochester Institute of Technology
Department of Computing Security
Course Schedule:
myCourses should be checked on a regular basis for additional REQUIRED readings.

Week Topic Assignments

1 Course Introduction
Security goals and attacks, Cryptographic basics –
Substitution, Caesar cipher
2 Cryptographic basics contd. –One-time pads, cryptanalysis
3 Mathematics of cryptography – Number theory, modular Quiz 1
arithmetic, GCD, inversion, prime numbers and factorization
4 Symmetric Key Cryptography – Stream cipher
5 Symmetric Key Cryptography – Stream Cipher contd., Block Quiz2
cipher
6 Symmetric Key Cryptography – Block cipher contd., Project
discussion, Block Cipher Modes
7 Midterm Exam Midterm Exam
Project proposal due
8 Asymmetric Key Cryptography – Knapsack, RSA
9 RSA contd., Symmetric key agreement – Diffie Hellman,
Message Integrity
10 Hash functions-MD5, SHA, HMAC Quiz 3
11 Authentication – Challenge response, mutual authentication,
Symmetric versus Public Key based authentication
12 Real world Protocols: SSH, SSL
13 Real World Protocols: Kerberos
14 Student Presentations
15 Student Presentations, Catch up, Final Exam Review Project Presentations
Project report due
16 Exam Week Final Exam

Important RIT Deadlines

Last day of add/drop is Tuesday of Week 2.
Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” is Friday of Week 11.

IMPORTANT: ACADEMIC INTEGRITY (Please read!!!!)

As an institution of higher learning, RIT expects students to behave honestly and ethically at all
times, especially when submitting work for evaluation in conjunction with any course or degree
requirement. The Department of Computing Security encourages all students to become
familiar with the RIT Honor Code (https://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/policiesmanual/p030 )
and with RIT’s Academic Integrity Policy
(https://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/policiesmanual/d080 ).The instructor of this course will
strictly adhere to these policies. Failure to observe the policy will lead to an automatic zero in
the concerned assignment and an “F” in the course.

CSEC-604 Syllabus 3 Mishra