3995 - Introduction to Cryptography:

TA Contact Information:
Shane Eisenman
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 212-854-2083
Alt. Phone: 212-854-5599 (use if no answer at above number)
Office Location: 8LE5 - 8th Fl. Shapiro Building (CEPSR)
Office Hours: Wednesday 6-8 pm (call from the phone inside Mudd if you can't get into the building)

** Please include [3995] in the subject line when emailing me. **

Grading Policies:
Remember to always email your assignments to both Prof. Grunschlag and me.  In addition, do not forget to post
appropriate portions of your assignments on your webaccount for full credit. Remember, do NOT post the
crypto code you write on your webaccount - this would be a breach of your contract.
Instead email the code.
(See www.cs.columbia.edu/~zeph/3995sum03/assignments/index.html for more details)

To post to your CUNIX account:

1). Login to your CUNIX account.
2). Create a web directory: type 'mkdir public_html'
3). Make the directory world readable/executable: type 'chmod a+rx public_html'
4). For each assignment create a world readable/executable directory Assignment_X
5). Put the appropriate files for each assignment in the appropriate directory, making sure they have the correct permissions to make sure I can read them.


What goes where?

+  Plaintext / Ciphertext pairs always go on your webaccount for every assignment.
+  Cryptographic implementation code goes in email to Prof. Grunschlag and me (not posted)*.
+  Code you may write for the Cryptanalysis assigments should be emailed to us along with the key      you cracked and a description of how you cracked it (not posted)*.  
+  All these items are required for the in-class paper hand-in.

* I doubt that any code you will be asked to write for this class would constitute an illegal weapons export, but for consistency this will be the policy.


Grading Criteria:
Grading is at my discretion, but, don't worry, it will not be arbitrary.
Following is roughly what you can expect:

On-time submission (posting/emailing/paper) of all required components; 100% working ==> 10+ points.
On-time submission (posting/emailing/paper) of all required components; Mostly working ==> 7 points.
-- ex.: 100% works on command line, problems with GUI
On-time submission (posting/emailing/paper) of all required components; Somewhat working ==> 5 points.
-- ex.:  Works on command line for most test scenarios.
On-time submission (posting/emailing/paper) of all required components; Barely working ==> 1-3 points.
-- ex.:  Well, at least you tried.
Late/Not Submitted/Cheated ==> 0 points.

Remember for full credit your code must interoperate correctly with the browser whose demo was shown in class. If you know
your implementation doesn't work with the GUI, make sure you give me clear instructions on how to test using your main() method.

If I deem your code is exceedingly difficult to read such that it impedes my understanding of what you are trying to do ==> -1 points
If you decide to use a method of cryptanalysis not presented in class you can add {-1, 0, or 2} points to your grade
depending on whether I think your technique is {cheap, neutral, or ingenious}. To reduce your risk, you may solicit my opinion
on the matter in advance of the due date.

I will not cover every possible contingency and combination here, but suffice it to say that I am committed to grading your
work fairly and uniformly.

If you feel I have been extremely unfair in grading your work (please do not quibble over 1 or 2 points), you may submit a
written and signed (no email) statement to Prof. Grunschlag and me detailing why you feel the grading was unfair and we will
make a final decision. The deadline for such an appeal is 7 days after you receive the grade from me. For logistical reasons,
the grading of your class project or final exam is not subject to appeal.

Cheating:
Collaboration is acceptable, cheating (copying, either piecemeal or wholesale) is not.
I will be checking with MOSS, so do your own work.  After all, you are here to learn.
When you cheat you are wasting your money and the professor's time. The penalty for
cheating will be at minimum a 0 mark on the assignment in question.  Further disciplinary
action is up to the professor.