Introduction to Cryptography
Spring 2026
Course Information
Discipline Sheet: FLT_IC_RO, FLT_IC_EN
Course Goal: Introduction to Cryptography (IC) is a course for undergraduate students that aims to present elements of modern cryptography, emphasizing fundamental concepts and structures, such as perfect security, pseudorandomness, and provable security.
Students interested in deepening their IC for a career in cryptography or related areas can contact me directly. Our department offers a master’s program in Information Security, whose director is the instructor for this course. There is also the option to pursue doctoral studies in cryptography and information security (please see the Students section on this site).
Prerequisites: Probability theory, algebra, number theory, and computational complexity as studied in the first year.
Textbook: The course is based on:
- J. Katz, Y. Lindell: Introduction to Modern Cryptography, Chapman and Hall/CRC, 3rd edition (December 21, 2020), 628 pages;
- Research articles are freely accessible from the Internet (indicated in the references section of lessons).
Student Resources:
Lectures, office hours, and exam sessions:
- Teaching weeks: Feb 16 – April 12 and April 20 – May 31, 2026.
- Partial evaluation week: April 6 – 12, 2026.
- Lectures: Thursday, 10:00 – 12:00, in C112, and 12:00 – 14:00, in C413.
- Office hours: Thursday, 14:00 – 15:00, in C301.
- Examination session: June 1 – 21, 2026.
- Re-examination session: June 22 – June 28, 2026.
Grading:
- The final grade is based on the scores obtained in the ongoing evaluation and the final exam.
- The ongoing evaluation is based on exercises performed in class and the assessment of implementations (50%), and on two written tests (25% each) in the 8th and 14th weeks of the didactic activity. Details about the basic principles and the grading method for ongoing evaluation are given during the first seminar. The ongoing evaluation score is measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
- The final exam takes place in the examination session. The final exam score is measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
- To pass the course, students must get at least 45 points on each of the ongoing evaluation and the final exam. If this requirement is met, the final score is computed as the average of the two scores. The final grade is then obtained by converting the final score (division by 10 and usual rounding).
Course Staff
Course Holder and Instructor: Prof. Dr. Ferucio Laurențiu ȚIPLEA, Department of Computer Science, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, Romania, e-mail: ferucio dot tiplea at uaic dot ro or fltiplea at gmail dot com.
Seminar assistant: Lect. Dr. Sorin Iftene.