Are you interested in learning the basics of cryptography? Senior EIS students are running cryptology workshops in weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9!
No prior knowledge of cryptography needed — just curiosity and a willingness to learn!
These workshops cover the basics of modern cryptography, including security principles, cryptographic tools, real-world uses, and common attacks. Check out upcoming workshops below and register today! Workshops are open to all Engineering & Information Technology students.
A certificate of attendance will be awarded to students who attend at least 5 of the 6 workshops.
Workshop 1: Crypto Basics & Secret Codes
In our first workshop you'll learn about classic ciphers like Caesar and Vigenère, the difference between symmetric and asymmetric keys, and Shannon’s perfect secrecy with the one-time pad.
🛠 Activity: Encrypt and break simple codes, plus discuss what “secure” really means.
Date: Friday, 15 August (wk 3)
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Building 3, room 123 (3.123), Wollongong Campus
Workshop 2: Private Key Encryption
Learn how we define security in the real world and build encryption using random-looking numbers (PRGs).
🛠 Activities: Prove a stream cipher’s security and explore why ECB mode is unsafe.
Date: Friday, 22 August (wk 4)
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Building 3, room 123 (3.123), Wollongong Campus
Workshop 3: Modes of Cipher
Understand how block ciphers (like AES) work and how to make sure messages aren’t tampered with.
🛠 Activities: Pick secure encryption modes and create simple message authentication codes (MACs).
Date: Friday, 29 August (wk 5)
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Building 6, room 105, Wollongong Campus
Workshop 4: Public Key Encryption
Dive into the math behind public-key encryption like RSA, and why it’s hard to break.
🛠 Activities: Manually generate RSA keys and discuss why “textbook RSA” isn’t enough.
Date: Friday, 5 September (wk 6)
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Building 6, room 105, Wollongong Campus
Workshop 5: Key Exchange & Signatures
Explore how two people can securely share a secret and verify messages with digital signatures.
🛠 Activities: Simulate key exchange (Diffie-Hellman) and design a hybrid encryption system.
Date: Friday, 12 September (wk 7)
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Building 6, room 105, Wollongong Campus
Workshop 6: Authenticated Encryption & Hashes
Combine encryption with message verification, and understand how hash functions like SHA-256 work.
🛠 Activities: Compare secure encryption schemes and play a "find a hash collision" game.
Date: Friday, 19 September (wk 8)
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Building 6, room 105, Wollongong Campus
Workshop 7: Advanced Topics & Real-World Crypto
Wrap up with cutting-edge crypto tools like zero-knowledge proofs and real-world systems like TLS, Bitcoin, and Signal.
🛠 Activity: Analyze a real protocol like the TLS handshake.
Date: Friday, 26 September (wk 9)
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: Building 6, room 105, Wollongong Campus
