diff -r 98ae49ffc262 -r 62985f147c85 hws/hw07.tex --- a/hws/hw07.tex Tue Sep 26 12:03:24 2017 +0100 +++ b/hws/hw07.tex Tue Sep 26 12:10:41 2017 +0100 @@ -3,63 +3,37 @@ \begin{document} -\section*{Homework 6} + +% For Alice to cheat, she has to get her transaction into the blockchain. +% For this she has to solve proof-of-work puzzles faster than anybody +% else. Is it possible for her to precompute several blocks that would +% validate a fraudulent transaction by her? Give a short explanation +% for your reasoning. + +\section*{Homework 7} + +\HEADER \begin{enumerate} -\item What are good uses of anonymity services like Tor? - -\item What is meant by the notion \emph{forward privacy}? - -\item What is a \emph{re-identification attack}? +\item How can the hardness of the proof-of-work puzzles in + Bitcoins be adjusted? What is parameter that determines + how the hardness is adjusted? -\item Imagine you have a completely `innocent' email message, - like birthday wishes to your grandmother. Why should you - still encrypt this message and your grandmother take the - effort to decrypt it? - - (Hint: The answer has nothing to do with preserving the - privacy of your grandmother and nothing to do with - keeping her birthday wishes supersecret. Also nothing to - do with you and grandmother testing the latest - encryption technology, nor just for the sake of it.) +\item What is the main data that is stored in Bitcoin's + blockchain? + +\item What is is the purpose of the proof-of-work puzzle in + Bitcoins? -\item One part of achieving privacy (but not the only one) is to - properly encrypt your conversations on the Internet. But this is - fiercely resisted by some spy agencies. These agencies (and some - politicians for that matter) argue that, for example, ISIL's - recruiters broadcast messages on, say, Twitter, and get people to - follow them. Then they move potential recruits to Twitter Direct - Messaging to evaluate if they are a legitimate recruit. If yes, they - move them to an encrypted mobile-messaging app. The spy agencies - argue that although they can follow the conversations on Twitter, - they ``go dark'' on the encrypted message app. To counter this - ``going-dark problem'', the spy agencies push for the implementation - of back-doors in iMessage and Facebook and Skype and everything else - UK or US-made, which they can use eavesdrop on conversations without - the conversants' knowledge or consent.\medskip - - What is the fallacy in the spy agencies going-dark argument? - (Hint: Think what would happen if the spy agencies and certain - politicians get their wish.) - -\item DNA data is very sensitive and can easily violate the privacy of - (living) people. To get around this, two scientists from Denmark - proposed to create a \emph{necrogenomic database} which would record - the DNA data of all Danish citizens and residents at the time of - their \emph{death}. By matching these to information about illnesses - and ailments in life, helpful evidence could be gathered about the - genetic origins of diseases. The idea is that the privacy of dead - people cannot be violated. +\item The department has large labs full of computers that are + pretty much idle over night. Why is it a bad idea to let + them mine for Bitcoins? - What is the fallacy behind this reasoning? +\item Is it possible that Bitcoins can get lost (be + irretrievable)? -\item A few years ago a Google executive tried to allay worries about - Google pooring over all your emails on Gmail. He said something - along the lines: you are watched by an algorithm; this is like being - naked in front of your dog. What is wrong with this argument? - -\item \POSTSCRIPT -\end{enumerate} +\item \POSTSCRIPT +\end{enumerate} \end{document} %%% Local Variables: