SEAMS-UGM-ITB Summer Course on Coding Theory and Cryptography

Course Description

Modern cryptology is currently at the confluence of two major streams in science, mathematics, and computing. The first stream is the projected arrival of quantum computing technologies at a scale which is large enough to render the current cryptographic standards insecure. Massive engineering challenges remain to be solved before we reach such an era. The community, however, has been embarking in the tasks of designing and rigorously testing quantum-secure cryptographic protocols. Most candidates rely on intractable problems in coding theory, lattices, hash functions, or multi-linear maps. A close scrutiny on their respective theory and deployments, both in softwares and hardwares, provides diverse topics of possible research directions to pursue. Many of them will be long-term enough for PhD research work and for an institute-wide effort as well as regional or international collaboration.

The second stream is harder to label, although perhaps already tangible in their societal influences. It appears as some combination of big data, machine learning, and the internet of things. It involves the deployment of algorithms in the generation, linkage, and studies of massive data which is harvested, computed, stored, analysed, and transmitted in and through devices which are interconnected. There are many concerns that cryptology can play a role in addressing. These include privacy rights and law enforcement. Interconnected devices are harder to secure. Cyber threats and crimes by nature are extremely hard to contain in the usual geographical or legal boundaries. Protocols for multiparty computations, secret sharing, zero-knowledge proof, authentication, signature, and distributed ledger can be useful tools when well-calibrated.

The above considerations underline our plan. The Algebra Research Group at the Department of Mathematics, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with the Algebra Research Group at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), endorsed by the Southeast Asian Mathematical Society (SEAMS) is organizing a Summer Course on Coding Theory and Cryptography. We have lined up a series of preparatory lectures and topical talks by speakers from relevant areas of research: mathematics, physics, and computer science. While putting the emphasis on the theoretical aspects, we include experts in applied cryptography in the esteemed list of speakers.

The workshop has the following aims.

1. To highlight the importance and impact of cryptology in daily life;
2. To nurture the next generation of domain experts and enlightened practitioners in the region, e.g. ASEAN or Asian and locally in Indonesia;
3. To kick start intensive collaborations between UGM and other institutions;
4. To earnestly explore multidisciplinary collaborations among mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, and electrical engineers.
5. To recruit potential postgraduate students.

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Time

July 15 – 26 2019