This module on secure communications will develop the knowledge and skills in the student to master the basics and identify the need for secure communications, to identify the vulnerabilities in data communication systems, to understand the different types of encryption processes available and to describe how best to secure data in transit.
Introduction
Role of secure communications in society, review of communication applications: Users and needs, Nature and limitations of secure communication , Types of security threats, secure coding and crypto APIs, secure applications and legal issues.
Threats and Security Management
Technical threats to communication security, authentication, confidentiality, integrity (data signatures), availability (PINs, passwords, biometrics, challenge-response control, tamper proof systems.
Cryptography
Overview of Cryptography, Privacy, Mathematical Overview, Transposition and Substitution Ciphers, Rotor Machine and Polyalphabetic Ciphers, Block Ciphers: DES, Can DES be attacked? Block Ciphers: AES, Public Key Systems, RSA System, Key Management, Digital Signatures and Authentication, Stream Ciphers, Watermarking and Steganography, Applications
Secure Communication
Threat models, Applied Crypto, Principles, ciphers, pseudo-randomness, encryption schemes. Hashing, One Way Functions and Commitment, Authentication and shared key distribution, Public Key Cryptography, Public Key Digital Signatures, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Secure email, Email encryption, PGP, Secure browsing, TLS/SSL, VPN technologies, Proxies, the TOR network. TrueCrypt and disk encryption. Anonymity
Voice and Telephone Security
Analogue encryption, standalone digital cipher modules, threats to telephone system, network technologies, security solutions, key access management.GSM Networks, basic architecture (components, subsystems and interface), CSipSimple encrypted calls, Introducing the OSTIN network, encrypted instant messaging, Gibberbot secure chat, Secure calls and sms.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 70 |
| Formal Examination | 30 |