Introduction to Applied Cryptography. Cryptographic methods underpinning cybersecurity.

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Introduction to Applied Cryptography SpecializationUniversity of Colorado System

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

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Cryptography is an essential component of cybersecurity. The need to protect sensitive information and ensure the integrity of industrial control processes has placed a premium on cybersecurity skills in today’s information technology market. Demand for cybersecurity jobs is expected to rise 6 million globally by 2019, with a projected shortfall of 1.5 million, according to Symantec, the world’s largest security software vendor. According to Forbes, the cybersecurity market is expected to grow from $75 billion in 2015 to $170 billion by 2020. In this specialization, students will learn basic security issues in computer communications, classical cryptographic algorithms, symmetric-key cryptography, public-key cryptography, authentication, and digital signatures. These topics should prove useful to those who are new to cybersecurity, and those with some experience.

Applied Learning Project

Each course includes a corresponding learner's project. The projects are designed to help learners objectively evaluate different cryptographic methods as they may be applied to cybersecurity. The project assignments are graded assessments. Learners must earn 100% on the projects to successfully complete this specialization.

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Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Beginner Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 3 hours/week

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Approximately 4 months to complete

Suggested pace of 3 hours/week

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

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How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 4 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Classical Cryptosystems and Core Concepts

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Welcome to Introduction to Applied Cryptography. Cryptography is an essential component of cybersecurity. The need to protect sensitive information and ensure the integrity of industrial control processes has placed a premium on cybersecurity skills in today’s information technology market. Demand for cybersecurity jobs is expected to rise 6 million globally by 2019, with a projected shortfall of 1.5 million, according to Symantec, the world’s largest security software vendor. According to Forbes, the cybersecurity market is expected to grow from $75 billion in 2015 to $170 billion by 2020. In this specialization, you will learn basic security issues in computer communications, classical cryptographic algorithms, symmetric-key cryptography, public-key cryptography, authentication, and digital signatures. These topics should prove especially useful to you if you are new to cybersecurity Course 1, Classical Cryptosystems, introduces you to basic concepts and terminology related to cryptography and cryptanalysis. It is recommended that you have a basic knowledge of computer science and basic math skills such as algebra and probability.

Course2

Course 2

Mathematical Foundations for Cryptography

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Welcome to Course 2 of Introduction to Applied Cryptography. In this course, you will be introduced to basic mathematical principles and functions that form the foundation for cryptographic and cryptanalysis methods. These principles and functions will be helpful in understanding symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic methods examined in Course 3 and Course 4. These topics should prove especially useful to you if you are new to cybersecurity. It is recommended that you have a basic knowledge of computer science and basic math skills such as algebra and probability.

Course3

Course 3

Symmetric Cryptography

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Welcome to Symmetric Cryptography!

Symmetric cryptography relies on shared secret key to ensure message confidentiality, so that the unauthorized attackers cannot retrieve the message. The course describes substitution and transposition techniques, which were the bases for classical cryptography when the message is encoded in natural language such as English. Then, we build on product ciphers (using both substitution and transposition/permutation) to describe modern block ciphers and review the widely used cipher algorithms in DES, 3-DES, and AES. Lastly, we enable the use of block ciphers to support variable data length by introducing different modes of block cipher operations in ECB, CBC, CFB, OFB, and CTR modes. This course is cross-listed and is a part of the two specializations, the Applied Cryptography specialization and the Introduction to Applied Cryptography specialization.

Course4

Course 4

Asymmetric Cryptography and Key Management

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Welcome to Asymmetric Cryptography and Key Management!

In asymmetric cryptography or public-key cryptography, the sender and the receiver use a pair of public-private keys, as opposed to the same symmetric key, and therefore their cryptographic operations are asymmetric. This course will first review the principles of asymmetric cryptography and describe how the use of the pair of keys can provide different security properties. Then, we will study the popular asymmetric schemes in the RSA cipher algorithm and the Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange protocol and learn how and why they work to secure communications/access. Lastly, we will discuss the key distribution and management for both symmetric keys and public keys and describe the important concepts in public-key distribution such as public-key authority, digital certificate, and public-key infrastructure. This course also describes some mathematical concepts, e.g., prime factorization and discrete logarithm, which become the bases for the security of asymmetric primitives, and working knowledge of discrete mathematics will be helpful for taking this course; the Symmetric Cryptography course (recommended to be taken before this course) also discusses modulo arithmetic. This course is cross-listed and is a part of the two specializations, the Applied Cryptography specialization and the Introduction to Applied Cryptography specialization.

Instructors

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University of Colorado System

Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
How long does it take to complete the Specialization?
This specialization includes approximately 90 hours of course material, of which about 20 hours is related to project work.
What background knowledge is necessary?
While there are no specific prerequisites for this specialization, it does assume some proficiency in logic and mathematics. Similarly, while this is mostly a non-technical course, it does require analytical and problem-solving skills on the part of the learner.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
Learners are not required to take courses in any particular order, though we recommend the learner complete the courses in ascending numerical sequence.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
Provided the learner meets minimum satisfactory grade requirements (i.e., 70% on course work & 100% on project work), they may apply for course credit through the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Additional costs and requirements may be entailed.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
This course will provide insight and direction on developing and implementing a coherent cybersecurity program within an organization. The primary benefit of such a program is that will accommodate strategic planning, giving an organization a sense of where it is, where it's going, and how it can get there. It offers a means of managing your destiny.

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Introduction to Applied Cryptography Specialization

Skills you will gain

About this Specialization

Applied Learning Project