course-details-portlet

TMA4160

Cryptography

Choose study year
Credits 7.5
Level Second degree level
Course start Autumn 2025
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction English
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement School exam

About

About the course

Course content

A brief overview of symmetric key cryptography. Diffie-Hellman, public-key encryption (ElGamal, RSA, lattice-based), digital signatures (RSA, Schnorr). Security definitions for cryptographic schemes. Algorithms from algebra and number theory, including primality testing, computation of discrete logarithms in cyclic groups, and elliptic curves over finite fields. The exact contents may vary from year to year, and may including more advanced topics.

Learning outcome

1. Knowledge. The student has an overview of the algebra that forms the basis of modern symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, and some knowledge of classical and modern symmetric cryptography. The student is familiar with the theory of finite cyclic groups, finite fields, elliptic curves and lattices. Moreover, the student is familiar with the motivation for, the use of and attacks on asymmetric cryptography, and knows the main systems and security definitions.

2. Skills. The student masters cryptographic algorithms, including algorithms for key generation, encryption, decryption and cryptanalysis. The student has acquired some intuition about how to attack cryptosystems.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and exercises. The exercises may involve the use of computers. Students are free to choose Norwegian or English for written assessments.

Further on evaluation

Retake of examination may be given as an oral examination. The retake exam is in August.

Course materials

Will be announced at the start of the course.

Credit reductions

Course code Reduction From
SIF5023 7.5 sp
TMA4155 4.5 sp Autumn 2007
This course has academic overlap with the courses in the table above. If you take overlapping courses, you will receive a credit reduction in the course where you have the lowest grade. If the grades are the same, the reduction will be applied to the course completed most recently.

Subject areas

  • Mathematics
  • Technological subjects

Contact information

Course coordinator

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Mathematical Sciences

Examination

Examination

Examination arrangement: School exam
Grade: Letter grades

Ordinary examination - Autumn 2025

School exam
Weighting 100/100 Examination aids Code B Date 2025-12-03 Time 15:00 Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room for school exam

The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.

Sluppenvegen 14
Room SL111 brun sone
40 candidates

Re-sit examination - Summer 2026

School exam
Weighting 100/100 Examination aids Code B Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment Place and room Not specified yet.