Last modified December 9, 2000 3:53 PM

New Course: Fall 2000

Math 65S

Cryptography and Society

Instructor: Joshua Holden
Office: PHY 219B
Office Phone: 660-6972
E-mail: holden@math.duke.edu
Web Page: http://www.math.duke.edu/~holden
Tentative Office Hours: Monday 10:30-11:20 and also by appointment.

Course Information
Course Syllabus
Class Schedule Information from SISS
Official Course Description from the Online Course Synopsis Handbook
There will be a take-home final, handed out on the last day of class. There will be no final at the university-scheduled final exam time and place.

Notes on the Final

The Final Exam is now available. Please read the directions carefully before you begin. The final exam is due Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 5:00 p.m., in my mailbox.

Announcements

Sep 1

I've been looking through people's journal entries and there's a couple of things I'd like to add.

1) As I said to some people in class, a URL is *not* sufficient bibliographic citation. I'd like a standard bibliographic reference including name of article, name of publication, date of publication, city of publication if appropriate, page number if appropriate, and author if given. You may *also* include the URL if that seems best to you.

2) Some people have written things which are more commentaries than summaries. For the summaries, I'm looking for mostly facts from the article. I'm going to ask for more of your opinions when we do the 2-5 page papers.

3) Some people have forgot to include their names. I can figure it out from your e-mail address, but it makes life harder for me.

4) Some people have sent their entries as attachments. It's a lot easier for me to read plain text (I'm using a UNIX-based system), and probably your paragraph should not be so large as to make that a problem. If it is a problem for anyone, let me know.

If point 1) applies to something you sent me, you can just send another message with the full citation. If point 2) applies to you, I will let you know. If points 3) or 4) apply, don't worry about it this time but keep it in mind for next time.

Nov 4

I forgot to point out that on the reading for Monday, on page 533 when it says

Y^-1

it means the same as

_
Y

that is, the inverse of Y modulo (p-1).

Nov 16

There will be no news article summary due the week of Thanksgiving.

Nov 30

Just to make sure everyone's clear: since there is no class next Friday, there will be no article summary due next week. There is one due tomorrow as usual.

Dec 4

Here are the general notes on term papers that I gave orally at the end of Friday's class:

Sources that are not web sites need page numbers. Sources that are web sites need some indication of the exact web page, not just the domain name or the top level of a multi-page document. (You could include the full URL, or a section number of some sort.)
As a rule of thumb, every paragraph should have at least one citation unless it is an introduction or conclusion to the paper or a section. If you want a citation to apply to several paragraphs, you should say so explicitly. If you want a citation to apply to an entire paragraph, I'd strongly suggest putting it at the end of the paragraph, not in the middle.
The second draft will be held to higher standards than the first, especially with regard to corrections of errors that I have marked and improvements that I have suggested.

Also, I'd like you to give me back the (marked up) first draft when you hand in the second, so that I can compare.

Handouts

Homework

Due: 30 Aug: Student Survey
Due: 6 Sep: Cyphers
Due: 13 Sep: Paper
Due: 20 Sep: Math Problems
Due: 27 Sep: Problems and Paragraph
Due: 4 Oct: Using Public Key Cryptography
Due: 25 Oct (changed to 27 Oct): Paper
Due: 1 Nov: Problems
Due: 8 Nov: Term Paper Proposal
Due: 15 Nov: Steganography
Due: 22 Nov: Term Paper First Draft
Due: 6 Dec: Term Paper Final Draft

Other Stuff

A talk about RSA that I have given to undergraduates in the past.
Log in to your Math 65 computer account and use PGP.
Examples of encrypted and/or signed messages in raw form.
Details of blind signatures and secret splitting.
FIPS dealing with Computer Security (including cryptography)
The National Cryptologic Museum at the NSA.
Learning about the Enigma Machine at Grand Valley State University.
New York Times articles on technology, including many things we have covered in class!
A Mathematica notebook on Diffie-Hellman key exchange and elliptic curves. Mathematica may be obtained here.

Who is snooping on your network?

$\includegraphics {snoop.ps}$

$\bullet$ Is e-mail secure from eavesdroppers? How could it be better protected?

$\bullet$ How could we vote for president over the internet and still have a secret ballot?

$\bullet$ What is ``digital cash''? How does it work? Could it replace advertising on web sites?

For the answers to these and other questions, sign up for
65S: Cryptography and Society

Coming this fall to a classroom near you!

<http://www.math.duke.edu/~holden/Math65S>

Prerequisites

High school algebra only.

Synopsis of course content

Introduction to basic ideas of modern cryptography with emphasis on implementation, applications in daily life, and implications for the individual and society. Topics covered include: the history of cryptography and cryptanalysis, public and private key cryptography, digital signatures, limitations of modern cryptography, applications to electronic communications and electronic commerce, privacy, computer security, and law enforcement. Related ethical questions will be considered including the debate over personal privacy versus public security.

Prof. Holden's home page.