
CS438/SEC532 – Blockchain: Security and Applications
Spring 2023-2024
Description and objectives
• This course aims to provide a survey on blockchain and the topics around such as history of blockchain,
cryptography it uses, Bitcoin and other currencies, consensus algorithms, smart contracts, scalability etc.
• The main motivation is making the students understand the components of blockchain, the terms, jargon people
use, the things one need to consider while designing and implementing one, integrating a blockchain to a real-
life application. In addition, after the lecture, the students can implement objects on a blockchain such as a smart
contract on Ethereum.
Topics to be covered
• Introduction to Blockchain: its history and current state
• Practical applications of public and private blockchains
• Bitcoin internals
• Ethereum and smart contracts
• Proof of Stake, BFT and other consensus algorithms
• Blockchain scalability and interoperability
• Decentralized Finance
• Conclusions and recap
Instructor
• Dr. Kamer Kaya, FENS G012, ext. 9566.
• Office Hour: by appointment – you can also send e-mails.
Textbook(s)
There are no formal books but you are free to read the following. They are free. You do not need to buy them.
• Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas Antonopoulos:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8lgcDXI8hEfbXFYcTh6aXNqRkk/view?usp=sharing
Source: https://github.com/bitcoinbook/bitcoinbook
• Mastering Ethereum, by Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Gavin Wood:
https://github.com/ethereumbook/ethereumbook
• Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies (Princeton textbook) by Arvind Narayanan, Joseph Bonneau, Edward
Felten, Andrew Miller, and Steven Goldfeder:
https://d28rh4a8wq0iu5.cloudfront.net/bitcointech/readings/princeton_bitcoin_book.pdf
Schedule
• Monday 13:40-14:30, FASS G022
• Tuesday 13:40-15:30, FASS G022
Grading:
• Midterm (20%): During the lecture (28/05/2024, Tuesday)
• Group project (40%)
o Proposal: 29/03/2024, Friday
o Final presentations: After the lectures, during the final exam period.
o Final code submission with corrections: TBA
• Homework assignments (30% - 40%): There will be 3-4 (technical and non-technical) HWs.
• Paper presentation (%10) – only for SEC 532 students.