Blockchain Technologies
San José State University
CS266: Topics in Information Security
Autumn 2019
Class Days/Time: M/W 7:30-8:45AM
Classroom: MH 422
Office Hours: M/W 7:15-7:30AM in MH 422; also from 8:45AM (let the lecturer know at the end of class)
Blockchains have emerged as exciting means of achieving decentralized consensus, notably in the realm of
cryptocurrencies and electronic payments. The space has seen rapid methodological advances and melds cryptography,
algorithms, distributed systems, game theory, and more. In this course, we will start with a review of sufficient
cryptography to understand the workings of Bitcoin, including Proof of Work. We will then cover Byzantine
fault-tolerant consensus protocols, various algorithms to prevent Sybil attacks, Merkle trees and other
primitives, “smart contracts,” privacy-preserving techniques, homomorphic encryption, network layer technologies,
Lightning transfers and related methods, zero-knowledge proofs, and application case studies. We will also cover
reasons for global and industrial enthusiasm about the technology, potential for misuse, examples of
vulnerabilities, and governance. Lectures will be supplemented with primary sources and student presentations.
Speaking Schedule