Course Calendar

6.1600 covers security and cryptography in five layers authentication, transport security, platform security, software security, and human/end-user security.

All content on this website, including the calendar, is subject to change. Links to future lectures are from last year for your reference.

Lectures: MW11-12:30 (4-237)
Recitations: F11 (2-105)
Office hours (Anna): M7-8pm (35-310), W7-9pm (35-310), R3-4pm (Zoom)
Office hours (Bill): F3:30pm-5:30pm (8-205), Su10am-12pm (38-166)

MondayTuesday WednesdayThursday Friday
sep 4
Labor day
sep 5

Registration day

Review these handouts: Course info, Useful facts
sep 6
LEC 1 (nz): What is security? (video, chapter)

Published: Lab 0

First day of classes
sep 7 sep 8
sep 11
LEC 2 (nz): Authenticating people (video, chapter)
sep 12 sep 13
LEC 3 (hcg): Collision resistance and file authentication (video, chapter)
sep 14
DUE: Lab 0
sep 15
Published: Lab 1
sep 18
LEC 4 (hcg): Message authentication codes (video, chapter)
sep 19 sep 20
LEC 5 (hcg): Digital signatures: Definition and hash-based schemes (video, chapter)
sep 21 sep 22
Student holiday
sep 25
LEC 6 (hcg): Digital signatures: RSA (video, chapter)
sep 26 sep 27
LEC 7 (hcg): Case study: Public-key infrastructure (video, chapter)
sep 28
DUE: Lab 1
sep 29
REC 1: Review authentication (video, problems, sol, notes)

Published: Lab 2
oct 2
LEC 8 (hcg): Intro to transport security (video, chapter) the penguin
oct 3 oct 4
LEC 9 (hcg): Authenticated encryption (video, chapter)
oct 5 oct 6

ADD DATE
oct 9
Indigenous peoples day
oct 10
Student holiday
oct 11
LEC 10 (hcg): Key exchange and public-key encryption (video, chapter)
oct 12
DUE: Lab 2
oct 13
Published: Lab 3
oct 16
LEC 11 (nz): Encryption in practice (video, chapter)
oct 17 oct 18
LEC 12 (hcg): Open problems with encryption (video, chapter)
oct 19 oct 20
REC 2: Pre-midterm review (video, problems, sol, notes)
oct 23
LEC 13 (guest): Guest speaker from BU Tech Law Clinic
oct 24 oct 25
Midterm exam: covers lectures 1-13, labs 0-2, psets 0-2
Time and location: same as lecture
(Previous exams)
oct 26 oct 27
oct 30
LEC 14 (nz): Architecting a secure system (video, chapter)
oct 31 nov 1
LEC 15 (nz): Isolation (video, chapter)
nov 2
DUE: Lab 3
nov 3
REC 3: Bonus: Factoring (video, chapter)

Published: Lab 4
nov 6
LEC 16 (guest): Michael Duff, Harvard's Chief Information Security Officer
nov 7 nov 8
LEC 17 (nz): Software trust (video, chapter)
nov 9 nov 10
Veterans day
nov 13
LEC 18 (hcg): Hardware security (video, chapter)
nov 14 nov 15
LEC 19 (hcg): Case study: iOS security (video, chapter)
nov 16
DUE: Lab 4
nov 17
REC 4: Bonus: Elliptic curves (video)

Published: Lab 5
nov 20
LEC 20 (nz): Software security (video, chapter)
nov 21 nov 22
LEC 21 (nz): Privilege separation (video, chapter)


DROP DATE
nov 23
Thanksgiving
nov 24
Institute holiday
nov 27
LEC 22 (nz): Bug-finding (video, chapter)
nov 28 nov 29
LEC 23 (nz): Runtime defenses (video, chapter)
nov 30 dec 1
REC 5: "Security jobs in industry", guest recitation by David Benjamin
dec 4
LEC 24 (hcg): Privacy: Zero knowledge (+Schnorr) (video, chapter)
dec 5 dec 6
LEC 25 (nz): Differential privacy (video, chapter)
dec 7
DUE: Lab 5
dec 8
REC 6: Review for final exam (video)
dec 11
LEC 26 (guest): Nadia Heninger (UCSD) - Cryptographic attacks in practice
dec 12 dec 13
LEC 27 (hcg): Summary (video, chapter)


Last day of classes
dec 14 dec 15
REC 7: Review for final exam (video)
dec 18
Final exam: 9am-12pm in 50-340
dec 19 dec 20 dec 21 dec 22
REC 8: Final exam review (no video!)

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