Course Calendar

Final project reports are available here.

We will cover the following topics in applied cryptography: introduction/review, post-quantum-secure encryption & applications (private information retrieval and fully homomorphic encryption), cryptographic proof systems, multi-party computation, cryptanalysis & computationally hard problems and project presentations. See the course overview for details on the course content and prerequisites.

Textbook: This course will not use a textbook. (Most of the topics we will teach are too new to appear in textbooks.) Ron Rivest has compiled a comprehensive list of readings on cryptography and computer security. If you are interested in going deeper into any topic, or if you need ideas for your final project, these references are a great place to start.

Course policies: Please read them carefully. You are responsible for knowing and following all of the policies—especially the collaboration policy and the policy on AI assistants (GPT and friends). Please do not make us sad, and yourself even more sad, by violating the collaboration policy.

Warning: We may change any content on this website, including the calendar, at any time.

MondayTuesday WednesdayThursday Friday
feb 5🎬
Lecture 1, hcg
Overview of crypto; Overview of class, Why post-quantum crypto?
First day of classes
feb 6
Published: Pset 1
feb 7🎬
Lecture 2, hcg
AES
feb 8 feb 9🎬
Recitation 1, kz
Review: One-way functions, collision resistance, AES, linear algebra


DUE: Review course policies.
Registration deadline
feb 12🎬
Lecture 3, yk
Symmetric Encryption: Construction from PRF
feb 13 feb 14🎬
Lecture 4, yk
Public-key Encryption: Constructions from LWE (Regev)
feb 15 feb 16🎬
Recitation 2, sw
x


DUE: Pset 1

DUE: Read about final project
feb 19🎬
Presidents' day
feb 20
Lecture 5, ah
PIR from LHE
Published: Pset 2
Monday classes held
feb 21🎬
Lecture 6, hcg
PIR extensions
feb 22 feb 23🎬
Recitation 3, kc
Choosing a project topic
feb 26🎬
Lecture 7, hcg
Public-key encryption and its implementation

DUE: Post a project idea in the "Search for teammates" post on Piazza.
See details on project page.
feb 27 feb 28🎬
Lecture 8, ah
FHE - Part I
feb 29 mar 1🎬
Recitation 4, kz
LWE and PIR


DUE: List of team members, preliminary topic(s), regular weekly meeting time.

DUE: Pset 2
mar 4🎬
Lecture 9, ah
FHE - Part II
Discuss your project with TAs
mar 5
Published: Pset 3
Discuss your project with TAs
mar 6🎬
Lecture 10, yk
Proof systems intro
Discuss your project with TAs
mar 7
Discuss your project with TAs
mar 8🎬
Recitation 5, kc
Complexity and FHE review


DUE: Project check-in
ADD DATE
mar 11🎬
Lecture 11, yk
Sumcheck

DUE: If TA requests: response to TA project-topic feedback from last week
mar 12 mar 13🎬
Lecture 12, yk
GKR
mar 14 mar 15🎬
Recitation 6, sw
x


DUE: Project check-in

DUE: Pset 3
mar 18🎬
Lecture 13, yk
SNARGs for NP
mar 19 mar 20🎬
Lecture 14, hcg
Lattice-based signatures
mar 21 mar 22🎬
Recitation 7, kz
x


DUE: One-page project proposal
mar 25🎬
Spring break
mar 26
Spring break
mar 27🎬
Spring break
mar 28
Spring break
mar 29
Spring break
apr 1🎬
Lecture 15, yk
Secret sharing
Discuss your project with TAs
apr 2
Published: Pset 4
Discuss your project with TAs
apr 3🎬
Lecture 16, yk
MPC: Intro and definition
Discuss your project with TAs
apr 4
Discuss your project with TAs
apr 5🎬
Recitation 8, kc
Review - commitment schemes, secret sharing


DUE: Project check-in, response to TA feedback
apr 8🎬
Lecture 17, yk
MPC: BGW construction
apr 9 apr 10🎬
Lecture 18, hcg
MPC: Applications
apr 11 apr 12🎬
Recitation 9, sw
x


DUE: Project check-in

DUE: Pset 4
apr 15🎬
Patriots' day
apr 16 apr 17🎬
Midterm quiz
apr 18 apr 19🎬
Recitation 10, kz
Secret Sharing and MPC Review
apr 22🎬
Lecture 19, hcg
Preprocessing attacks
apr 23
DROP DATE
apr 24🎬
Lecture 20, hcg
Public-key cryptanalysis
apr 25 apr 26🎬
Recitation 11, kc
x


DUE: Project check-in
apr 29🎬
Lecture 21, guest
Guest lecture: Ron Rivest and Jim Bidzos
apr 30 may 1🎬
Lecture 22, guest
Guest lecture: Panel discussion with Ron and Jim
may 2 may 3🎬
Recitation 12, sw
x
may 6🎬
Lecture 23, hcg&yk
Open questions
may 7 may 8🎬
Project presentations
may 9 may 10
may 13🎬
Project presentations
may 14

DUE: Final project report
Last day of classes
may 15 may 16 may 17
Final exam period
may 20
Final exam period
may 21
Final exam period
may 22
Final exam period
may 23 may 24


Course website design courtesy of PDOS and Katrina LaCurts.