Introduction to Cryptography - Syllabus

Embark on a profound academic exploration as you delve into the Introduction to Cryptography course () within the distinguished Tribhuvan university's CSIT department. Aligned with the 2065 Syllabus, this course (CSC-313) seamlessly merges theoretical frameworks with practical sessions, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Rigorous assessment based on a 60+20+20 marks system, coupled with a challenging passing threshold of , propels students to strive for excellence, fostering a deeper grasp of the course content.

This 3 credit-hour journey unfolds as a holistic learning experience, bridging theory and application. Beyond theoretical comprehension, students actively engage in practical sessions, acquiring valuable skills for real-world scenarios. Immerse yourself in this well-structured course, where each element, from the course description to interactive sessions, is meticulously crafted to shape a well-rounded and insightful academic experience.

Goal: The course objective is to familiarize basic concepts of cryptography so as the students can use their understanding for information security purpose.

Unit 1. Introduction

Security, Attacks, Attack Types, Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses, Classical Cryptography

Unit 2. Basics of Modern Cryptography

Plaintext, Ciphertext, keys, simple ciphers, public key cryptography, digital signatures

Unit 3. Conventional Encryption / Secret Key Cryptography

Cryptography, Cryptanalysis, Cipher Structure, Encryption Algorithms, Data Enncryption Standard (DES), International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Modes of Operation, Symmetric Block Ciphers, Cipher Block Chaining (CBC), Multiple Encryption DES

Unit 4. Public Key Cryptography

Basic Number Theory, Factorization, Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange, Public Key Cryptography Algorithms, RSA.

Unit 5. Digital Signatures

One-time signatures, Digital Signature Standard (DSS).

Hashing and Message Digests

Hashes, Motivation and applications. Cryptographically Secure Hashing, Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA), Encryption with Message Digest (MD), MD5.

Authentication and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

Overview of Authentication Systems (Password, Address, Cryptographic), Security Handshake Pitfalls, Authentication Standards, Kerberos, PKI Trust Models.

Network Security

IP Security, Web Security, Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), Different versions of SNMPs, PGP.