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        Security In General >> Security >> Introduction into Cryptography course
        
(Message started by: Pete Finnigan on Aug 31^st, 2012, 4:28pm)

Title: Introduction into Cryptography course
Post by Pete Finnigan on Aug 31^st, 2012, 4:28pm

I'm probably late to mention this, but you can follow a course from Stanford University for free about Cryptography (and there will be a second course starting Jan 21th 2013.). It actually already started this week.

You can sign in at https://www.coursera.org/.

There will also be a free course on Information Security and Risk Management in Context at Washington University. It starts september 24th. This course also can be found at the Coursera site.

For most of these courses you have to do some homework and if you finish these, you can get a certificate that you finished the course.

If you have an iPad, you can also follow some security-related courses on iTunes University, like Networks and Security by the University of Plymouth and Cyber Warfare by BCS. But these are more like presentations of findings of studies they did. You don't have to solve problems or anything.

For the Cryptography course you do have to solve problem sets and the theory is pretty serious stuff, if I may say so. ;)

Title: Re: Introduction into Cryptography course
Post by Pete Finnigan on Sep 3^rd, 2012, 4:23pm

Thanks for this info Marcel-Jan
cheers
Pete

Title: Re: Introduction into Cryptography course
Post by Pete Finnigan on Sep 10^th, 2012, 11:15am

Still doing the cryptography course. The first week was pretty math intensive. It has been long ago since I've been studying math with this intensity. Sometimes, while watching the video, I cried out "What? ANOTHER variable letter? So what's this one for then?". Casual remarks by professor Boneh in the video like "as you clearly can see" and "it is easy to see" still triggers alarm bells. This is not going to be as clear to him, as it is to me.

Nevertheless this course has given me a lot of insight into cryptography, so the time I've invested is very worthwhile. Like the insight that an encrypted message should be indistinguishable from random and how to test that. I definately will look at encryption with different eyes after this course.

Last friday I've submitted the answers to the first problem set. It passed the mark. Five more to go. I'm actually somewhat behind.

Title: Re: Introduction into Cryptography course
Post by Pete Finnigan on Nov 10^th, 2012, 10:43pm

Forgot to tell: I did it. I managed to score 70% percent of the problem sets (average) and the exam of Cryptography I and got a statement of accomplishment.

It was a time intensive course, but it already is paying off. In insight that is. When I have to configure certificates for a site, I actually know what's under the cover.

I'm going to do Cryptography II as well (in january). It will cover certificates more thoroughly, amongst others.

Oh by the way, you can do Cryptography I every couple of months. A new course started november 5th.