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CSCE 4050/5050 - Applications of Cryptography - Spring 2026

Class hours: Thursdays, 5:30-8:20pm, in NTDP B185
Instructor: Kirill Morozov (Department of Computer Science and Engineering)
Office hours*: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-5:00pm, or by appointment.
E-mail: Kirill [dot] Morozov [at] unt.edu

Teaching assistant(s):
  • Yan Qiao, see the office hours in Canvas
    Email: YanQiao1@my.unt.edu
  • Shakila Zaman, see the office hours in Canvas
    Email: ShakilaZaman@my.unt.edu

Course Description

This course aims at introducing fundamentals of cryptography and their applications. The knowledge gained from this course will enable students to apply cryptographic algorithms as building blocks for designing secure solutions.

Course webpage

All lectures, assignments, and other materials will be posted in Canvas.
Submission of assignments must be made via Canvas as well.

Note: For all communications with instructors and TAs, the subject of your e-mails must start with "CSCE 4050" or "CSCE 5050".

Reference books (recommended)

Supplementary reading:
  • D.R. Stinson and M. Paterson: "Cryptography: Theory and Practice", 4th Edition, CRC Press, 2018.
  • J. Katz and Y. Lindell: "Introduction to Modern Cryptography" (2nd Edition), Chapman & Hall/CRC, 2015.
  • N. Ferguson, B. Schneier, and T. Kohno: "Cryptography Engineering: Design Principles and Practical Applications", Wiley, 2010.

Prerequisites

CSCE 2100 and CSCE 2110, or approval of instructor.

Course schedule*

  • Lecture 1 (Jan 15): Course overview, historical ciphers, mathematical background

  • Lecture 2 (Jan 22): One-time pad

  • Lecture 3 (Jan 29): Pseudorandom generators and stream ciphers

  • Lecture 4 (Feb 5): Block ciphers

  • Lecture 5 (Feb 12): Cryptographic hash functions

  • Lecture 6 (Feb 19): Message authentication codes

  • Lecture 7 (Feb 26): Authenticated encryption

  • --------- (Mar 5): Midterm Exam (1st half);
    Project Overview (2nd half)

  • Spring Break (no class on Mar 12)

  • Lecture 8 (Mar 19): Public-key encryption

  • Lecture 9 (Mar 26): Digital signatures

  • Lecture 10 (Apr 2): Public-key infrastructure and more

  • Lecture 11 (Apr 9): Authenticated key exchange and TLS

  • Lecture 12 (Apr 16): Identification and secure login. Kerberos

  • Lecture 13 (Apr 23): Post-quantum cryptography. Homomorphic encryption

  • Lecture 14 (Apr 30): (1st half) Advanced cryptographic functionalities
    Review lecture (2nd half)

  • May 2 (Saturday), 5:30-7:30pm: Final Exam

Grading

  • Homeworks: 30%
  • Labs: 10%
  • Programming project: 15%
  • Mid-term exam: 20%
  • Final exam: 25%

Course Policies

  • Grading: Assignments may be submitted up to 3 days late, with a penalty of 15% for each day.
    No credit will be given after 3 days.
  • Academic Integrity: Cheating in exams/assignments, plagiarism in exams/assignments, collusion and falsification of academic records constitute academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for being familiar with UNT’s Students Academic Integrity Policy: https://policy.unt.edu/policy/06-003. Cheating/collusion/plagiarism in assignments/exams will result
    in zero credit for them, possible “F” grade for the course, and possible disciplinary action.
  • Students with Disabilities: Students in need of academic accommodations for disability can refer
    to the Office of Disability Access for initiating the required arrangements based on ADA terms.
    Also, such the students are welcome to arrange an appointment with me to discuss their special needs
    for academic accommodation (to ensure confidentiality).

* Subject to possible changes.

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Last modification: January 12, 2026