From July 20 to August 3, the summer school-conference "Cryptography and Information Security", organized by the Cryptographic Center of Novosibirsk and the International Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok, will be held on the basis of the Moscow site of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI.
The event brought together more than 170 students, postgraduates and schoolchildren from 37 Russian cities, as well as teachers, experts and leading experts in the field of cybersecurity. The summer school was opened by the rector of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Vladimir Shevchenko. Welcoming the conference participants gathered at one of the best technical universities in the world, Vladimir Igorevich noted that an important component of the MEPhI mission is to ensure the strategic security of the Russian Federation through excellence in high technologies and solutions based on them. The University successfully trains not only nuclear shield keepers, but also highly qualified specialists in the field of information security.
Cryptography is one of the most ancient applied sciences, where mathematical discoveries, engineering solutions and geopolitical realities are closely intertwined, while each new generation of specialists in this field faces new challenges, the rector believes. Vladimir Shevchenko wished the school participants to make the most of their time – not only to work on projects, but also to move around and chat with like-minded people.
Director of the Institute of Intelligent Cybernetic Systems (IICS) Konstantin Kogos of MEPhI noted that the school-conference "Cryptography and Information Security" is being held for the first time in Moscow, on the site of the Nuclear University, where many interesting activities await the students.
Professor Marina Pudovkina, Deputy Head of the Department of Cryptography and Computer System Security at MEPhI, PhD, co-organizer of the school-conference, recalled that cryptography and information security have been taught at our university for more than 35 years and invited students to participate in the interuniversity crypto regatta, which will be held on July 28. Representatives of universities, partner companies of the event and the head of the summer school, Associate Professor of the Department of Theoretical Cybernetics of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Novosibirsk State University, Ph.D. Natalia Tokareva also spoke at the opening of the conference.
"The number of participants and partner companies of our conference is increasing from year to year. This year, 363 applications from 77 cities have been received for the summer school! "Cryptography and Information Security 2026" includes 34 lectures from leading experts, 31 research projects, more than 245 teachers and students, and 12 partners," Natalia Tokareva cited impressive figures.
The school-conference will last 15 days, the program includes lectures ("Cryptographic algorithms and electronic signature", "Methods of analysis of asymmetric systems", "Cryptography in payment card systems", "Supercomputer computing in cryptography", "Cryptography in messengers that we use"), excursions, master classes, sports lots and lots of communication and, most importantly, work on projects. The experts will present several research projects to the participants of the summer school, which the students will have to work on (individually and in teams) for two weeks. The topic covers a wide range of areas: symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms, the development of cryptographic protocols for authentication, identification, secure key transfer and messaging, as well as other applied and theoretical aspects of information security. The research results will be presented on August 3 at the reporting conference, and then published in the proceedings on the official website of the summer school.
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"Cryptography and Information Security" is a traditional event that has been held since 2019 on the basis of the country's leading universities. The Summer School conference was hosted by St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, Southern Federal University, and Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University. Students and postgraduates of Russian universities can participate in the school (free of charge, full-time). The organizers and partners of the summer school this year are: the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, the Cryptographic Center (Novosibirsk), the International Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok. Novosibirsk State University, Southern Federal University, JSC "KRYPTONITE Scientific and Production Company", LLC "CRYPTO-PRO", GC "Practical security Systems", LLC "Security Code", the company "Asset", LLC "Enseukripto-lab", NeoQUEST.
