Summer 2009

Randomness has become an important tool in the design of efficient algorithms. But what is a random bit? 0? 1? The necessary quality of randomness depends on the application: In cryptography such bits have to satisfy more requirements than when they are used for Monte-Carlo simulations in particle physics (from where their computational use originated). Cryptographic protocols require random ...

Passports shall carry more and more sensitive information in a easily accessible way in the future. This information may, apart from name, origin and the like, contain fingerprints or retina scans. And it is stored in electronic form, and it can be accessed by wireless transmissions. This raises a lot of new problems:

• The passport holder cannot immediately control the contents of the ...

This seminar discusses various topics from applied and theoretical computer security. Possible areas cover security on the internet, electronic elections, encryption standards, stream ciphers, and hash functions. If you are particularly interested in a certain subject you are invited to propose it.

We plan to learn more about either

• algorithmic number theory,
• PCP and hardness of approximation,
• ...

The decision is taken: We deal with Algorithmic Number Theory As a starting point we read Chapter 1 and 2 of Cohen, A course in computational algebraic number theroy.

The seminar discusses subjects of current interest in computer security. Some of the lectures will be given by invited guests.