7 Interesting Cryptography Research Paper Topics For College Students
A high surveillance culture seems to be all over the internet with governments wanting to keep track of the activities of their citizens. While not doing anything wrong, it is worrying that other people are reading what you intend to be private messages. This is where cryptography comes in. It is defined as study and practice of the art of securing your communications.
Modern cryptography in computer science is based on mathematics and electronic engineering, using algorithms based on “computational hardness assumptions”. It has largely replaced the older “encryption” used in secret communications that involved changing legible communications into illegible nonsense script. It is also the basis of Digital Rights Management for controlling the distribution of copyrighted material.
Unfortunately the secret nature of the communications created by the mathematical algorithms suspected by many governments that seek to limit the use of encryption in personal communications. With the growth of the internet many cryptographic techniques are readily available if you know where to look.
What makes a good research paper?
- Specific – avoid going off on a tangent. Anything that does not answer the subject of your thesis statement should be left out.
- Measureable – make sure that everything you say in your essay can be backed up by solid evidence.
- Attainable – Yes, it would be nice to make grandiloquent statements but this is not fiction. In computer science, as in all academic work, all your evidence should be based around existing essential information in your field of study.
- Realistic – base your work on valid evidence and reliable sources not some random opinion off the internet.
- Time-limited – All research should come with limits that are clearly stated in the paper. Some early work is no longer valid and later evidence could prove your theory incorrect. Focus your work on a specific area.
Some ideas to get you started
- A historical survey of methods of encryptions and changes brought about by the development of computers.
- Identity theft – scams, phishing, malware can modern security methods prevent and track these modern crimes.
- Data security in information networks in the ever broadening World Wide Web – controls and censorship.
- Security at the ATM – is the RFID safe?
- Methods and tools for the management of mobile and network computer systems
- Comparative study of security in the various computer operating systems.
- Hacking the “internet of things” – how to prevent hackers from holding people to ransom via their pacemaker.
