Students

COMP6300 – Applied Cryptography

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer and Convenor
Hassan Asghar
hassan.asghar@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Lecturer
Xuyun Zhang
xuyun.zhang@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
COMP2300
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides an introduction to modern applied cryptography. It deals with the concepts and techniques behind cryptographic primitives, such as hash functions, symmetric-key ciphers, public-key cryptography and digital signatures. It then explains the concept of cryptanalysis before addressing important cryptographic protocols. The unit concludes with a review of existing applications including blockchain and cryptocurrencies, electronic voting schemes, executable code signing, full disk encryption, etc.

Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Explain the concepts and principles on which modern cryptography relies upon.
  • ULO2: Employ adapted cryptographic tools and techniques to encrypt, decrypt and sign messages.
  • ULO3: Decipher simple encrypted messages using a range of cryptanalysis methods.
  • ULO4: Apply cryptographic technologies and protocols to increase data security and protect privacy.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

Students enrolled in Session based units with written assessments will have the following university standard late penalty applied. Please see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/assessments for more information.

  • 5% penalty per day: If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days.

    • Example 1 (out of 100): If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

    • Example 2 (out of 30): If you score 27/30 but submit 1 day late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

  • After 7 days: Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

  • Extensions:

    • Automatic short extension: Some assessments are eligible for automatic short extension. You can only apply for an automatic short extension before the due date.

    • Special Consideration: If you need more time due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration.

Need help? Review the Special Consideration page HERE

In this unit, late submissions will accepted as follows:

Projects 1 and 2 – YES, Standard Late Penalty applies

Final Exam - NO, unless Special Consideration is Granted

Project Release Dates

  • Project 1: To be released no later than Monday Week 2 (02/03/2026).
  • Project 2: To be released no later than Monday Week 7 (20/04/2025).

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment.

  • Written Assessments and Exams If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the projects and final exam in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

Requirements to Pass this Unit

To pass this unit, you must:

  • Achieve a total mark of 50% or more

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Exam 40% No Exam Week Individual No Observed
Implementation of Cryptosystems 30% No 05/04/2026 Individual Yes Open
Fundamentals of Cryptosystems 30% No 24/05/2026 Individual Yes Open

Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Exam Week
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

This exam will test your understanding of material covered across the entire unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the concepts and principles on which modern cryptography relies upon.
  • Apply cryptographic technologies and protocols to increase data security and protect privacy.

Implementation of Cryptosystems

Assessment Type 1: Experiential task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 05/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

This project deals with programming for symmetric-key and public-key cryptography. You will complete the tasks of filling in missing details and correcting errors in the implementation of cryptographic algorithms in the Python programming language with a cryptographic library. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the concepts and principles on which modern cryptography relies upon.
  • Employ adapted cryptographic tools and techniques to encrypt, decrypt and sign messages.
  • Apply cryptographic technologies and protocols to increase data security and protect privacy.

Fundamentals of Cryptosystems

Assessment Type 1: Experiential task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 24/05/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

This project deals with mathematics behind cryptography and elementary symmetric key cryptography. You will be required to complete mathematical analysis of discrete structures including groups and fields that are used in cryptosystems, analysis of historic ciphers and simple symmetric key cryptography algorithms.  
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain the concepts and principles on which modern cryptography relies upon.
  • Decipher simple encrypted messages using a range of cryptanalysis methods.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

COMPUTING FACILITIES

Important! Please note that this is a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) unit. You will be expected to bring your own laptop computer (Windows, Mac or Linux) to the workshop, install and configure the required software, and incorporate secure practices into your daily work (and play!) routines.

CLASSES

Each week you should complete any assigned readings and review the lecture slides in order to prepare for the lecture. There are two hours of lectures and a one-hour workshop every week. The workshops have hands-on exercises to reinforce concepts introduced during the lectures; you should have chosen a practical on enrollment. You will find it helpful to read the workshop instructions before attending - that way, you can get to work quickly!

For details of days, times and rooms consult the timetables webpage.

Note that Lectures and Workshops commence in week 1.

You should have selected a practical at enrollment.

METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

We will communicate with you via your university email or through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor from your university email address.

REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS

Required readings for this unit:

TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

iLearn

iLearn is a Learning Management System that gives you access to lecture slides, lecture recordings, forums, assessment tasks, instructions for practicals, discussion forums and other resources.

Echo 360 (formerly known as iLecture)

Digital recordings of lectures are available. Read these instructions for details.

Technology Used

Python and GP/PARI, GnuPG, VeraCrypt, Thunderbird, Gnu Privacy Guard, Enigmail, OpenSSH, PuTTY, Ophcrack.

Unit Schedule

Week Topic
1 Introduction to Cryptography and Elementary Number Theory
2 Symmetric Cryptography
3 Hashes, Digests and Passwords
4 Encrypting Files and Filesystems
5 Introduction to Public Key Cryptography and Advanced Number Theory
6 Digital Signatures and Authentication Protocols
7 Network and Telecommunications Security
8 ElGamal Cryptosystem and Elliptic Curve Cryptography
9 Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies I
10 Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies II
11 Quantum Computing and Post-Quantum Cryptography
12 Advanced Topics in Cryptography
13 Revision and Exam Preparation

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.

Unit information based on version 2026.04 of the Handbook