Graduate Courses

Study of emerging methods, techniques, and research areas in cryptography that use quantum effects for key distribution, and the study of novel asymmetrical cryptographic methods currently under development to protect cyber physical systems, which will mitigate attacks from quantum computers.

The course describes symmetrical cryptographic methods (DES, and AES), asymmetrical cryptographic methods, and Diffie-Hellman based PKI (RSA, elliptic curve cryptography). The elements of mathematics important to cryptography are presented (number theory, Galois fields, Euclidian algorithms, Euler-Fermat theorems, fast exponential algorithms, and the formation of cyclic groups for ECC). Recent developments in cryptography are also presented: quantum key distribution (QKD), post quantum cryptography (ex. Shor algorithms), blockchain technology, digital signatures, and hash based cryptography (Lamport, HORS, Winternitz, Merkel Trees).

This course presents elements of nanotechnologies and several nanoelectronic components (MOSFET, SRAM cell, DRAM cell, Flash cell, Resistive RAM cells, memristors, and Sensors). The design and use of secure elements and their related security limitations under side-channel attacks are presented. This course also reviews, in detail, the design of True Random Number Generators (TRNGs), and physically unclonable functions (PUF) from nanoelectronic devices. The cryptographic protocols exploiting nanomaterials that are presented include: password generators, password managers, public key exchange for PKI and DSA, keyless encryption, noise induced encryption, and hash-based cryptography.