Student Projects

  1. Tim Wilkis - Classical Encryption Techniques - Playfair and Hill Ciphers
    This page will take a look at two classical encryption techniques, the Playfair and Hill cipher techniques. The two building blocks of most classical encryption techniques are substitution and transposition. The Playfair cipher is best known for its approach to multiple-character substitution. The Hill Cipher takes a different approach to multiple-character substitution, a more mathematical approach.


  2. Jeffrey Meyer - Hashing Algorithms and Their Uses in Cryptography
    Hashing algorithms have many uses, and one of them is in cryptography. Hashes can be used to allow someone to verify the integrity of a file being sent to them. Due to the nature of hashing algorithms, collisions will occur, and these collisions must be dealt with somehow. The nature of how hash tables are generated and exactly how collisions occur and are dealt with will also be discussed. Two cryptographic hashing algorithms, RIPEMD-160 and SHA-1, will be discussed to some detail, in order to show how hashing algorithms can be used for cryptographic natures. It should also be noted that these hashing algorithms are more susceptible to brute-force than cryptographic ciphers, and this will be explained via the Birthday Paradox.


  3. Enri Zyba - The Noisy Coding Theorem Continued
    This talk will cover information about Shannon's Noisy Channel Coding Theorem that wasn't included in class. This includes a proof of the theorem. There will also be other types of channels covered that aren't BSC, such as the Binary Erase Channel. Some sample problems for these different channels will be explained.


  4. John Law - Why VPN is trusted for network communication
    I will be talking in depth about the multiple protocols used in VPN (specifically, in regards to those used in ipSec), and how they all fit together. So, I will be discussing different encryption algorithms ( such as Triple DES ), hashing, as well as key exchange algorithms such as Diffie-Hellman. I may also discuss different protocols ( or bring to focus through the website ) besides ipSec.


  5. Ajdin Bajramovic - New Technology" Vs. "Old Technology What does the future hold?
    I will discuss and expand on Moore's Law and what the future holds and how Moore's Law is impacted by new technology. By new technology I mean "Quantum Computing".


  6. Jerry Howell- An Introduction to Network Information Theory and Gaussian Examples
    The topics covered will include some of the triumphs in generalizing Information Theory from a single link to a network, characterized by the capacities of the scalar Gaussian Broadcast Channel, Two-way Channel and Interference Channel. A math outlook will include theorems of the network information theory. The Slepian-Wolf problem will also be included.


  7. Francois Domagni - Relations between Shannon's information theory and Set theory
    In 1996 "Hu" wrote a paper in which it was established that to every information identity corresponds a set identity. Hence a one to one correspondence between the Shannon's information measure and Set theory in general. In this project we explain how set theory tools are used in information measure and how they simplify the establishment of certain identities including the Chain rules identities. We also apply the tools to various problems as examples.

  8. Stotts, Michael L. - One Time Pad Encryption Analyzed as Noisy Channel
    The purpose is to define the general One Time Pad (OTP) encryption algorithm, then perform an Information Theory analysis treating the algorithm as a noisy channel. A specific example, using the eXclusive OR One Time Pad (XOR OTP) will be presented. Finally, there is a discussion of the effect of less than perfect random number generator on the security of the encryption.