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An Introduction to Cryptography

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An Introduction to Cryptography

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.4

16 reviews

Beginner level
No prior experience required
8 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.4

16 reviews

Beginner level
No prior experience required
8 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Describe the fundamental concepts and principles of cryptography.

  • Explore historical cyphers and their significance in the evolution of cryptography.

  • Investigate modern cryptographic algorithms and protocols.

  • Gain digital skills as part of Click Start! Follow the link in the instructor bio to see if you're eligible for FREE access to this course and more..

Details to know

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Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

There are 2 modules in this course

Cryptography is an essential part of secure but accessible communication that's critical for our everyday life and organisations use it to protect their privacy and keep their conversations and data confidential. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the fascinating world of cryptography, covering both historical cyphers and modern-day cryptographic techniques.

In this course, you will explore the foundations of encryption, decryption, and cryptographic protocols. Through a combination of theoretical concepts, practical examples, and hands-on exercises, you will gain a solid understanding of the principles and applications of cryptography. Join this fascinating course to explore the world of cryptography and learn how secrets have been kept in the past and the modern world. This course is one of many, offered by Click Start, a UK training programme designed to help young people develop digital skills. Click Start offers a limited number of scholarships giving free access to young people in the UK. Check the FAQs to see more detail and follow the link to check if you are eligible for free access today.

Welcome to the first week of the course! We will start the week with an exploration of what cryptography is and what it is used for and then move on to look at some cryptographic techniques, via some ancient cryptography. Although these ancient cryptographic techniques are not very useful in modern life, they are good at demonstrating some of the concepts that are still used in modern day cryptography. Week 1 lays the foundation for Week 2, when we will turn our attention to modern cryptography.

What's included

2 videos15 readings1 assignment4 discussion prompts

2 videos•Total 9 minutes
  • The course and its creator•2 minutes
  • Solutions: Simple ciphers exercise•7 minutes
15 readings•Total 165 minutes
  • Welcome to An Introduction to Cryptography•10 minutes
  • Lesson 1: Overview•5 minutes
  • An introduction to simple cryptography•10 minutes
  • The three roles of cryptography•10 minutes
  • Lesson 1: Summary and next steps•5 minutes
  • Lesson 2: Overview•10 minutes
  • What is a 'simple cipher'?•15 minutes
  • Your turn: Try out a simple cipher•10 minutes
  • Simple ciphers: Substitution ciphers•10 minutes
  • Simple ciphers: Transposition ciphers•10 minutes
  • Simple ciphers: Permutation ciphers•10 minutes
  • Simple ciphers: Polygraphic ciphers•15 minutes
  • Your turn: Simple ciphers exercise•30 minutes
  • Vulnerabilities of simple ciphers•10 minutes
  • Lesson 2: Summary and next steps•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
  • Check your understanding: Simple ciphers•10 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 40 minutes
  • What are you looking forward to?•10 minutes
  • Researching ciphers•10 minutes
  • What type of cipher did you find?•10 minutes
  • End of Week 1: Reflections•10 minutes

Welcome to Week 2. In this week you will bring your knowledge about cryptography up to date in the modern day. This is where we start to look at more complex methods for more complex contemporary requirements. To start off, you will be introduced to a concept called 'public key cryptography' which is extensively used on the internet. You will then learn about hash functions and how some cryptographic techniques can be used to produce a digital signature.

What's included

1 video18 readings3 assignments2 discussion prompts

1 video•Total 1 minute
  • Course summary•1 minute
18 readings•Total 174 minutes
  • Lesson 3: Overview•5 minutes
  • What do we use cryptography for now?•5 minutes
  • Modern day cryptography•15 minutes
  • Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) encryption•20 minutes
  • Part 1: RSA - Key generation•10 minutes
  • Part 2: RSA - Encryption•10 minutes
  • Part 3: RSA - Decryption•10 minutes
  • Lesson 3: Summary and next steps•10 minutes
  • Lesson 4: Overview•5 minutes
  • Modern cryptography: End-to-end encryption•10 minutes
  • Hash functions•20 minutes
  • Optional exercise: Hash functions•10 minutes
  • Digital signatures•10 minutes
  • Lesson 4: Summary and next steps•10 minutes
  • Overview•2 minutes
  • Artificial Intelligence: What is its impact on Cryptography?•10 minutes
  • Summary•2 minutes
  • Further exploration•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 65 minutes
  • Test your learning and get your certificate•20 minutes
  • RSA encryption/decryption•15 minutes
  • Check your understanding: Modern cryptography•30 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 30 minutes
  • End-to-end encryption in the news•20 minutes
  • Reflection•10 minutes

Instructors

University of Leeds
4 Courses•11,954 learners

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Frequently asked questions

This course is part of Click Start, a UK training programme designed to help young people develop digital skills. Click Start is offering a limited number of scholarships giving free access to young people in the UK.

Check if you are eligible for free access today.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Financial aid available,