Data Protection (Fall 2026)

Class slides and notes

Slides:

• Introduction. Symmetric Encryption (I). Slides (Handout)
  (You can skip the Shannon entropy slides.)

• Symmetric Encryption (II). Message Authentication. Slides (Handout)
• Hash Functions. Authenticated Encryption. Slides (Handout)
• Mathematical Background. Slides (Handout)
• Public Key Encryption. Slides (Handout)
• Digital Signatures and Certificates. Slides (Handout)
• Security Models for Encryption and Signatures. Slides (Handout)
• Zero Knowledge Slides (Handout)
• Distributed Protocols Slides (Handout)

Notes:

• Symmetric Key Cryptography. (HTML) (PDF)
  (You can skip the formal part of the LFSR.)
  (The details of the implementations are not so important.)

• Public Key Cryptography. (HTML) (PDF)
  (You can skip the theoretical sections 1.7 and 1.8.)

• Security Models. (HTML) (PDF)
  (You can completely skip this chapter and use only the slides.)

• Zero Knowledge. (HTML) (PDF)
• Distributed Cryptography. (HTML) (PDF)

Labs:

• Lab 1: Practical Stream Ciphers (HTML) (PDF)
  Auxiliary files:   rc4enc.cpp,
  bytes_01FFxx.dat,   bytes_03FFxx.dat,   bytes_04FFxx.dat,   bytes_05FFxx.dat,
  bytes_06FFxx.dat,   bytes_07FFxx.dat,   bytes_08FFxx.dat,   bytes_09FFxx.dat,
  bytes_0AFFxx.dat,   bytes_0BFFxx.dat,   bytes_0CFFxx.dat,   bytes_0DFFxx.dat,
  bytes_0EFFxx.dat,   bytes_0FFFxx.dat

• Labs 2 and 3: Hash functions and MACs (HTML) (PDF)
• Lab 4: Public Key Encryption (HTML) (PDF)
  Auxiliary files:   My public key,   Test public key,   Test private key,   Test ciphertext
  Use the test files to test your code, and send me by email a message encrypted with my public key.

• Lab 5: Signatures and certificates (HTML) (PDF)
  Auxiliary files:   Root CA certificate,   Parameters file,   Official CRL file,
  File set #1,   File set #2,   File set #3

Exercises:

  (Some exercises will appear here)

Miscellaneous

• A toy C++ program beaking RC4 security

Final Exam:

The final exam consists of some exercises and questions covering the contents of the course notes, and including the basic ideas worked out during the practical works.

You can bring the notes or a summary of them, but you are not allowed to use any computer or similar electronic device.

Class recordings (Fall 2020)

• Class 15/09/20: Introduction and Stream Ciphers.
• Class 22/09/20: Block Ciphers and Practical Work (Stream Ciphers).
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)
• Class 29/09/20: Modes of Operation, Message Authentication and Hash Functions.
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)  recorded class (III)
• Class 06/10/20: Applications of Hash Functions, Authenticated Encryption and Practical Work (MACs and Hash Functions).
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)
• Class 13/10/20: Introduction to Public Key Cryptography and Practical Work (MACs and Hash Functions, continued).
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)
• Class 20/10/20: Practical Public Key Encryption Schemes, Homomorphic Encryption, Digital Signatures.
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)
• Class 27/10/20: Digital Signatures, Certificates and Practical Work (Public Key Crypto).
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)  recorded class (III)
• Class 03/11/20: Security Models for Encryption.
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)
• Class 10/11/20: Security Models for Signatures. Security assumptions and statements. Final work list.
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)  recorded class (III)
• Class 17/11/20: Zero Knowledge Protocols
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)  recorded class (III)
• Class 24/11/20: Compound ZK Proofs and Applications
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)  recorded class (III)
• Class 01/12/20: Distributed Protocols
  recorded class (I)  recorded class (II)  recorded class (III)