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Fundamentals of Cybersecurity

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Cryptography
Description

In this lesson, students will learn about different encryption techniques and their historical significance. They will discover the limitations of certain methods and the evolution of cryptography throughout history. Lastly, students will also explore the future of cryptography and its potential applications.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Decode messages encrypted with Caesar and Vigenere ciphers
  • Explain the concept of encryption and its role in secure communication
  • Identify and compare different historical and modern encryption techniques
  • Analyze the limitations of certain decryption methods (brute force, letter frequency analysis)
  • Discuss the potential future applications of cryptography
Description

In this lesson, students will learn about the basics of symmetric encryption. Students will explore the advantages and disadvantages of various ciphers and consider how using multiple ciphers impacts the decryption process.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Explain the characteristics of symmetric algorithms and use them to encode and decode text. Specific ciphers include block, substitution, and transposition ciphers.
  • Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of symmetric ciphers.
Description

In this lesson, students will explore the concepts of key exchange and encryption, unlocking the secrets of how messages are protected online.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Identify the weaknesses with symmetric key encryption and why modern cryptography involves more complex mathematics
  • Explain the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption
  • Describe the key exchange process using the Diffie-Hellman algorithm (basic understanding).
  • Explain how public-key cryptography is used for encryption and decryption.
Description

In this lesson, students will learn about SSL certificates: what they are, where they come from, how they work, and why they are essential to internet security. They will also discover the concept of hashing and its application in data integrity.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Define digital certificates and explain their role in web security.
  • Describe the basic steps involved in the SSL/TLS handshake process.
  • Explain the concept of hashing and its importance in data verification.
Description

In this lesson, students complete a summative assessment of the module’s learning objectives.

Objective

Students will be able to:

  • Prove their knowledge of cryptography through a multiple choice quiz