Coding Techniques

Lectures: 20 hours.

Lab sessions: 10 hours.

Student hours: 75 hours.

PRERREQUISITES AND RECOMMENDED PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE

This course gives an overview of different cipher and security techniques as well as their applications to computer networks and telematic services. The student will have to know both symmetric and asymmetric encryption techniques, hash functions, cryptographic checksums, authentication protocols, digital signature, digital certificates and applications of all of them.

OBJECTIVES: KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

At the end of the course the student will be able to:

• Know the generic environment of the cryptosystem together with the different agents that constitute it.
• Know the evolution of the different classical security mechanisms as the basis of modern security mechanisms.
• Learn the techniques of conventional encryption (symmetric encryption) and the current encryption standard (AES) and the previous standard (DES).
• To know the main modes of operation used in symmetric encryption.
• Know the mathematical foundations of the main mechanisms for public-key encryption. Know in depth the RSA algorithm.
• Know the different hashing techniques and their use together with public key algorithms to create digital signatures and digital certificates.
• Know the different techniques for distributing session keys, based both on public key and secret key.
• Know the application of different mechanisms for building up security protocols (IPSec, SSL, etc.).

At the end of the course the student will acquire the following skills:

• Use the definition of cryptosystem as a framework for comparing different security mechanisms.
• Use criteria to evaluate the security achieved by a certain protocol.
• Appropriate choose the security algorithm  suitable for each circumstance.
• Define a security protocol.
• Use security tools necessary to implement the various mechanisms studied.
• Overall view of the different security mechanisms judiciously applying the acquired knowledge.
• Ability to access and understand technical literature

TEACHING MATERIAL

• Course slides.
• Bibliography.

 PRACTICAL ASSIGMENTS AND ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

• Exam papers (exercises).
• Lab practices, including support material and links to the required software.