FREE CERTIFICATION ON CRYPTOGRAPHY BY STANFORD UNIVERSITY

About course

An essential technique for securing data in computer systems is cryptography. You will discover the inner workings of cryptographic systems in this course, as well as how to employ them properly in practical applications. The course starts off by going into great depth on how two people who share a secret key may communicate safely even while a strong adversary listens in and tampers with traffic. We will look at several deployed protocols and evaluate flaws in current systems. The public-key mechanisms that enable two parties to create a shared secret key are covered in the second half of the course. Participants will work on enjoyable (optional) programming projects and be exposed to a variety of fascinating open topics in the area during the course.

SKILLS YOU'LL IMPROVE

Symmetric-key algorithm
Public-key cryptography
Cryptographic attacks

LINK: https://www.coursera.org/learn/crypto

About Instructor

Dan Boneh

The applied cryptography team is led by Stanford University computer science professor Dan Boneh. Computer security applications of cryptography are the main subject of Professor Boneh's study. His work encompasses cryptanalysis, web security, mobile device security, innovative cryptosystems with unique characteristics, and digital copyright protection. He is the creator of more than a hundred works in the area and the mathematician who won the RSA, Packard, and Alfred P. Sloan awards. Dr. Boneh won the Ishii prize for industrial education innovation the previous year. Professor Boneh joined Stanford University in 1997 after receiving his doctorate from Princeton University.

7-week program

Week 1:

This week's topic includes an introduction to cryptography and our first real-world examples of ciphers. You'll discover how to employ pseudo-randomness for encryption and learn about it. A few fundamental concepts of safe encryption will also be covered.

Week 2:

A new encryption basic called a block cipher is introduced, allowing us to create stronger encryption systems. AES and 3DES are two common block-cipher constructions that we'll examine and learn how to employ for encryption. The workhorse of cryptography, block ciphers have a wide range of uses. We'll learn how to employ block ciphers to ensure data integrity the following week. This week's optional programming task requires students to create an AES-based encryption/decryption system.

Week 3:

The subject this week is data integrity. We will go through a few traditional MAC system architectures that are employed to maintain data integrity. For the time being, we simply talk about ways to stop non-secret data from being changed. We will revisit encryption the following week and demonstrate how to offer both secrecy and integrity. The programming assignment for this week demonstrates how to verify big video files. Please read the project description even if you decide not to complete the assignment since it explains the significance of a hash chain.

Week 4:

The topic for this week is authenticated encryption, which refers to encryption techniques that guarantee both secrecy and integrity. We'll also talk about a few other topics, including how to search encrypted data. We are finishing up our study of symmetric encryption this week. We will begin key management and public-key cryptography the following week. As usual, there is a programming assignment for additional credit. The project for this week entails some networking to test a selected ciphertext attack on a dummy website.

Week 5:

Basic key exchange: setting up a secret key between two parties—is the focus for this week. For the time being, we only consider protocols to be eavesdropping-proof. This question serves as the driving force behind the fundamental ideas of public key cryptography, but before we construct public-key systems, we must briefly digress and go over a few fundamental ideas in computational number theory. Starting with an algorithm from antiquity (Euclid), we'll progress through Fermat, Euler, and Legendre. We will also briefly touch on a few useful ideas from math from the 20th century. Our diligent effort this week will be put to good use the following week as we build various public key encryption systems.

Week 6:

Public key encryption is the subject of this week, namely how to encrypt using a public key and decode with a private key. Key management in encrypted file systems, encrypted communications systems, and many more functions all employ public key encryption. Two kinds of public key encryption systems—one based on trapdoor functions (RSA in particular) and the other on the Diffie-Hellman protocol—are covered in the films. We build systems with selected ciphertext security, which protects against tampering (CCA security). Over the past ten years, there has been a tonne of study on CCA security; however, given the time provided, we can only briefly review the key findings. For individuals who want to learn more about CCA secure public-key systems, the lectures offer recommendations for additional literature. This week's assignment calls for a little bit more arithmetic than normal, but it should deepen your comprehension of public-key encryption. Do not be reluctant to ask questions on the forum. The final week of this Crypto I course is now. I'm hoping that everyone had a great time and learned a lot. Cryptography is a fascinating subject with a tonne of unsolved issues and potential for more study. In Crypto II, where we will discuss more essential subjects and a few more advanced issues, I am looking forward to meeting you.

Week 7:

Final Exam and certification.