Modern Cryptography and AI/ML Security

DSC4110/DSC6111  [L-T-P-C: 3-0-0-3]  |  BS-MS Program (Session: 2026-27, Varsha)

Course offered at Instructor
iiser-tvm-logo The School of Data Science,
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 		👤 Dr. Laltu Sardar ✉

Course Objective
This course builds a rigorous understanding of modern cryptography — from symmetric-key primitives, public-key systems and key infrastructure to the emerging challenges posed by quantum computing. Students will study the mathematical foundations of lattice-based post-quantum cryptography (including NIST-standardized schemes such as CRYSTALS-Kyber and CRYSTALS-Dilithium), and learn to apply cryptographic tools (liboqs, OpenSSL) to build secure, quantum-resistant systems. The course further examines security and privacy challenges specific to AI/ML systems — differential privacy, federated learning, secure aggregation and privacy-preserving inference — and how post-quantum cryptography can be integrated into modern AI/ML pipelines.

Prerequisites: DSC 314 or MAT 2012

Learning Outcomes:

  • Explain the fundamental concepts, security definitions, and threat models of modern cryptography, including symmetric-key cryptography, public-key cryptography, hash functions, and MACs.
  • Analyze the security challenges posed by quantum computing and the principles of post-quantum cryptography, including lattice-based assumptions and NIST-standardized schemes.
  • Apply post-quantum cryptographic primitives and tools such as liboqs, OpenSSL, Kyber, and Dilithium for secure communication and hybrid cryptographic systems.
  • Analyze security and privacy threats in AI/ML systems and compare privacy-preserving techniques used in secure AI/ML systems.
  • Evaluate classical, post-quantum, and hybrid cryptographic solutions for secure system design with respect to security, performance, and deployment feasibility.

📃 Information

✦ Class Timing: 3:00-4:00 pm ✦ Place: PSB 3102
✦ Full Syllabus (PDF)  ✦ IISER-TVM Complete Syllabus 
✦ Marks Distribution: Time-wise → [Mid-Sem: 40% + End-Sem: 60%]; Type-wise → [Written Exam: 80% + Assignments: 20%]
✦ Pass Marks: According to IISER TVM policy
# Total Marks 100 Written Exam Assignments Total
1 Mid-Semester 30 10 40
2 End-Semester 50 10 60
✦ Total 80 20 100

🗣 Announcements

☑ Course page created — details will be updated as the semester schedule is finalized.

Updates

  1. Friday Class on 28th is rescheduled to 10:00-11:00 am on the same day.

📅 Class Schedule: Mid-Sem

# Date Topics Slides
1 2026-07-27 Introduction to Secure Communication secure comm
2 2026-07-29 Confidentiality: with Encryption Schemes confidentiality
3 2026-07-31 Introduction to Cryptographic Primitives primitives
4 2026-08-03 Stream and Block Ciphers block cipher
5 2026-08-05 Integrity and Authenticity Slides
6 2026-08-07 Public Key Infrastructure and the full picture PKI
7 2026-08-10 Public-Key Cryptosystem & RSA PKE
8 2026-08-12 ElGamal & Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems ElGamal  ECC
9 2026-08-14 Outsourcing Machine Learning Model:
Introduction to Homomorphic Encryption		 HE
10 2026-08-17 Somewhat & Fully Homomorphic Encryptions: Classical FHE(Incomplete slide)
11 2026-08-19 Post-Quantum Cryptography: Hash Based Signatures LD-OTS & W-OTS,
Follow [5], P-35 onward
12 2026-08-21 Hash Based Signature: MSS MSS

📅 Class Schedule: End-Sem

# Module Topics Hours
# 2026-xx-xx -- --

📝 Assignments

# Assignment Topic Status
1 To Be Announced Symmetric-key cryptography & hash functions Pending
2 To Be Announced Public-key cryptography & PKI Pending
3 To Be Announced Lattice-based / post-quantum cryptography (Kyber, Dilithium, liboqs) Pending
4 To Be Announced Privacy-preserving AI/ML (differential privacy, federated learning) Pending

📚 References

# Title Author(s) Publisher / Edition
1 Introduction to Modern Cryptography Jonathan Katz, Yehuda Lindell CRC Press, 3rd edition, 2020
2 Cryptography: Theory and Practice Douglas R. Stinson, Maura Paterson CRC Press, 4th edition, 2018
3 Foundations of Cryptography: Basic Applications Oded Goldreich Cambridge University Press, 1st edition, 2004
4 A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography David Boneh, Victor Shoup Draft edition, 2023
5 Post-Quantum Cryptography D. J. Bernstein, Johannes Buchmann, Erik Dahmen Springer, 1st edition, 2009
6 Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning J. Morris Chang, Di Zhuang, Dumindu Samaraweera CRC Press, 1st edition, 2022

Helpful Tools & Resources

# Resource Useful for
1 Open Quantum Safe (liboqs) Post-quantum algorithm implementations
2 OpenSSL PQC / hybrid cryptography integration
3 NIST PQC Project Standardization documents (Kyber, Dilithium, etc.)
4 CRYSTALS: Kyber & Dilithium Lattice-based KEM and signature schemes
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