Readings #

Submission:

• Submit a PDF in a template of your choice with your short summary of the reading and answering the additional questions outlined in the assignment.
• Only Submit One: You sometimes have multiple content options to choose from, you only need to submit one of them.
  • Please note down the selected content’s section title or id (R01.2) on your submission.
  • At least one of the available options is a text-based reading (🕮) or provides closed captions ([CC]).
• Usually the same due date as the exercises.
• Pass / Fail grading, 6 out of 8 reading assignments required for 100% of component (capped).
• Except for the initial content summary question, you are not required to address each question individually; they are provided only as guidance to help you cover the intended scope.

General reading considerations unless noted otherwise on the individual reading assignments:

R01 Reading 1 #

For this reading task, choose one of the following options. Note your choice at the top of your submission (e.g., in the form of “R0X.2 [Reading Title]”).

R01.1 Crypto Wars #

► Jack Rhysider. Ep 12: Crypto Wars, Darknet Diaries, 2018. YouTube (18:17 min)

1. Summary. In about 1-2 paragraphs briefly summarize the podcast.
2. Crypto Wars. What is your opinion about limiting (export of) encryption technologies? Do you think the limitation of encryption technologies is effective in the long run? What do you think about government backdoors in terms of overall security?

R01.2 ENIGMA #

► Jared Owen. How did the Enigma Machine work?, 2021. YouTube (19:25 min) [CC]

1. Summary. In about 1-2 paragraphs briefly summarize the video.
2. Flaws of ENIGMA. Where do you see (security) flaws with ENIGMA’s approch to cryptography? Where to you see some benefits of ENIGMA (at least compared to other historic cryptography procedures)? How could some of the flaws been mitigated?

R01.3 Cryptography Is Harder Than It Looks #

🕮 Bruce Schneier. Cryptography Is Harder Than It Looks, 2016. Blog post

1. Summary. In about 1-2 paragraphs briefly summarize the blog post.
2. Is Cryptography Harder Than It Looks? Do you agree with the premise of this blog post? Why do you think cryptography is so hard to get right? How could we improve the situation?

R02 Reading 2 #

For this reading task, choose one of the following options. Note your choice at the top of your submission (e.g., in the form of “R0X.2 [Reading Title]”).

R02.1 Company Password Security #

🕮 Brian Krebs and Thomas H. Ptacek. How Companies Can Beef Up Password Security, 2012. Blog post

(Historical context: This blog post is from 2012, some of the recommendations might be outdated, e.g., SHA-1 is no longer considered secure.)

1. Summary. In about 1-2 paragraphs briefly summarize the blog post.
2. Password Security. The blog post is from 2012; What are your thoughts about the current state of password security? Do you think the recommendations in this blog post are still valid today? Where do you still see challenges in improving password security?

R02.2 GitHub on SHA-1 Collision Attacks #

🕮 Jeff King (GitHub). SHA-1 collision detection on GitHub.com, 2017. Blog post

1. Summary. In about 1-2 paragraphs briefly summarize the blog post.
2. SHA-1 Collision. Do you think GitHub’s response to the SHA-1 collision was appropriate? Do you this is a good approach to mitigate the risks of SHA-1 collisions? Where else do you expected challenges in moving away from deprecated cryptographic algorithms?

R02.3 Quantum Crypto #

► Veritasium. How Quantum Computers Break The Internet… Starting Now, Mar 2023. YouTube (24:28 min) [CC]

1. Summary. In about 1-2 paragraphs briefly summarize the video.
2. Quantum Future? What are your thoughts about the effects of quantum computing on security? How would you protect your software security going forward?

R0X Reading X #

There will be eight readings. Readings will be released as the course progresses.