CFP96 Tutorial
Afternoon, March 27
Cryptography, for Confidentiality and Authentication
Instructor: Jeffrey Schiller
Review from the CFP96 Newsletter
Cryptography is a critical technology for protecting privacy and providing
security in the information age. The Internet, which many believe will grow
into the Information Superhighway, is a collection of independently owned
and managed sub networks. There is no one organization that can offer
assurances that information on the network is secure and kept private.
Confidentiality can only be ensured if end-users protect their own
information, by encrypting it! Similarly it is equally difficult to know
whether or not a piece of information originated from where it claims.
Cryptography, in the form of digital signatures can provide this service as
well.
This tutorial will give attendees a basic understanding of how
cryptographic systems operate and how to use them.
Topics Covered:
- Traditional (secret key) Cryptosystems.
- IDEA and DES.
- Why you don't design your own!
- Key Distribution Systems for private keys (Kerberos).
- Public Key Cryptographic Systems (RSA).
- Digital Signatures.
- Pretty Good Privacy (PGP).
- Public Key Distribution for PGP, the PGP Keyservers.
The class will also cover practical information about how to obtain, setup
and use PGP. How to generate your PGP key. How long it should be. How to
register with one of the public PGP keyservers.
Jeffrey I. Schiller received his S.B. in Electrical Engineering (1979) from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As MIT Network Manager he has
managed the MIT Campus Computer Network since its inception in 1984. Prior
to his work in the Network Group he maintained MIT's Multics timesharing
system during the timeframe of the ArpaNet TCP/IP conversion. He is an
author of MIT's Kerberos Authentication system. Mr. Schiller is the
Internet Engineering Steering Group's (IESG) Area Director for Security. He
is responsible for overseeing security related Working Groups of the
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). He is also a member of the Privacy
and Security Research Group (PSRG) of the Internet Research Task Force His
recent efforts have involved work on the Internet Privacy Enhanced Mail
standards (and implementation) as well as releasing a U.S. legal freeware
version of the popular PGP encryption program. Mr. Schiller is also a
founding member of the Steering Group of the New England Academic and
Research Network (NEARnet). NEARnet (now part of BBN Planet) provides
Internet Access to institutions in New England.
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Last updated November 22, 1995
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