Assignment #8, Due 8 Nov

For this week's assignment, I'd like you to write a 1-2 page proposal for your term paper.

Your term paper should be 8-12 pages long with reasonable font size and spacing. The topic can be on virtually any topic related to cryptography. It can be oriented towards mathematics, towards programming or software design, or towards discussions of policy and social aspects of cryptography. (You may do a programming project, but I expect it to be accompanied by 8-12 pages of English text.)

Some possible topics include:

• A discussion of a cryptosystem that we have not studied in class, or a more detailed discussion of one that we have. (For some lists of cryptosystems that you might want to investigate, see pages 193-195, 200-201, 203-204 of WS&C.)
• An interesting implementation of a cryptosystem, either your own or one currently in use. (See page 212 of WS&C.)
• A discussion of attacks on a particular cryptosystem.
• A comparison of different ways of achieving digital signatures, or different ways of implementing digital money, or secure e-mail, or certificates, or message digests, or key escrow, or internet voting, or zero-knowledge proofs, or any of the other topics on the syllabus.
• A more detailed discussion of how cryptography is used in some organization or type of organization. This would be similar to assignment #2, but I will expect you to do some research into what's actually happening in the world and not just using your imagination.
• A discussion of one or more ways in which the use of cryptography might impact law enforcement, civilian privacy, the economy, the arts, or some other aspect of society.
• A more detailed discussion of one or more of the ways in which information can be gathered without breaking encryption.
• A discussion of the impact that one or more government regulations have had or could have on the development of cryptography.
• A study of a historical event involving cryptography. (You should investigate the web page of the National Cryptologic Museum at the NSA. You may also be interested in this page on Learning about the Enigma Machine at GVSU.)

There are many other possibilities.

For your proposal I do not expect you to do a great deal of research outside your textbooks. However, I will want you to do such research for the actual paper. Therefore, I would strongly recommend that you include in your proposal a list of other resources that you intend to consult. This may include web pages, although you should keep in mind that there is a great deal of garbage available on the internet. I will hold you responsible for any misinformation that you get from a web site, so if you have any question about the reliability of a source you should definitely consult with me. (The web sites I have assigned for readings are basically reliable.) Other good places to find sources are the bibliographies of your textbooks, all of which are excellent and should be very helpful.

Some other books you may wish to consult:

Applied Cryptography

Bruce Schneier. An extremely complete reference for protocols and algorithms relating to cryptography and related topics. Currently I have the only library copy but I am trying to arrange more.

The Code Breakers

David Kahn. A very good book on the history of cryptography, although it stops in 1967.

The Code Book

Simon Singh. Not as good a book on the history of cryptography, although more up to date. It has a few errors, so you may want to consult with me before you use it, or read this critical review . I believe I also have the only library copy of this.

A Course on Number Theory and Cryptography

Neil Koblitz. Math.

Algebraic Aspects of Cryptography

Neil Koblitz. More math.

Other math books

Please ask if you would like more recommendations.

Your topic should be specific. Eight to twelve pages is not a very long paper and I would like more than vague generalities. If you need help narrowing down your topic, I would be happy to help.

As usual, I will grade your proposal on spelling, grammar, and punctuation in addition to content. (I will provide more information on how I will grade the term paper in the next week or so.)

If you have any questions, please ask!

About this document ...

Assignment #8, Due 8 Nov

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