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Bruce Schneier

 
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Bruce Schneier (born January 15, 1963, ) is an American cryptographer, computer security
Computer security

Computer security is a branch of technology known as information security as applied to computers. The objective of computer security can include protection of information from theft or corruption, or the preservation of availability, as defined in the security policy....
 specialist, and writer. He is the author of several books on computer security
Computer security

Computer security is a branch of technology known as information security as applied to computers. The objective of computer security can include protection of information from theft or corruption, or the preservation of availability, as defined in the security policy....
 and cryptography
Cryptography

Cryptography is the practice and study of hiding information. In modern times cryptography is considered a branch of both mathematics and computer science and is affiliated closely with information theory, computer security and engineering....
, and is the founder and chief technology officer of BT Counterpane, formerly Counterpane Internet Security, Inc.

inally from New York City, Schneier currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County, Minnesota. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, Minnesota, the state's Capital ....
. Schneier has a Master's degree
Master's degree

A master's degree provides a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of profession. Within the area studied, graduates possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theory and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, Critical thinking and/or professional application; and the ability to problem solving a...
 in computer science
Computer science

Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems....
 from American University
American University

American University is a Private university United Methodist Church-affiliated research university in Washington, D.C., United States, the main campus of which comes to a corner at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues at Ward Circle, straddling the Spring Valley, Washington, D.C., Wesley Heights, and American University Par...
 and a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an bachelor's degree academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years ....
 degree in physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
 from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is a private university, nonsectarian, research university located in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional degrees through six schools and various interdisciplinary programs....
.






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Bruce Schneier (born January 15, 1963, ) is an American cryptographer, computer security
Computer security

Computer security is a branch of technology known as information security as applied to computers. The objective of computer security can include protection of information from theft or corruption, or the preservation of availability, as defined in the security policy....
 specialist, and writer. He is the author of several books on computer security
Computer security

Computer security is a branch of technology known as information security as applied to computers. The objective of computer security can include protection of information from theft or corruption, or the preservation of availability, as defined in the security policy....
 and cryptography
Cryptography

Cryptography is the practice and study of hiding information. In modern times cryptography is considered a branch of both mathematics and computer science and is affiliated closely with information theory, computer security and engineering....
, and is the founder and chief technology officer of BT Counterpane, formerly Counterpane Internet Security, Inc.

Education

Originally from New York City, Schneier currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County, Minnesota. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, Minnesota, the state's Capital ....
. Schneier has a Master's degree
Master's degree

A master's degree provides a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of profession. Within the area studied, graduates possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theory and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, Critical thinking and/or professional application; and the ability to problem solving a...
 in computer science
Computer science

Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems....
 from American University
American University

American University is a Private university United Methodist Church-affiliated research university in Washington, D.C., United States, the main campus of which comes to a corner at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues at Ward Circle, straddling the Spring Valley, Washington, D.C., Wesley Heights, and American University Par...
 and a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an bachelor's degree academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years ....
 degree in physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
 from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is a private university, nonsectarian, research university located in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional degrees through six schools and various interdisciplinary programs....
. Before Counterpane, he worked at the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the Military of the United States....
 and then AT&T Bell Labs
Bell Labs

Bell Laboratories is the research organization of Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company .Bell Laboratories has had its headquarters at Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, and it has research and development facilities throughout the world....
. In August 1999, Schneier founded Counterpane Internet Security. Counterpane was acquired by BT in October 2006, and is now known as BT Managed Security Solutions. Schneier is currently the Chief Security Technology Officer of BT.

Writings on cryptography

Schneier's Applied Cryptography is a popular reference work for cryptography. Schneier has designed or co-designed several cryptographic algorithm
Algorithm

In mathematics, computing, linguistics and related subjects, an algorithm is a sequence of finite instructions, often used for calculation and data processing....
s, including the Blowfish
Blowfish (cipher)

In cryptography, Blowfish is a key ed, symmetric key algorithm block cipher, designed in 1993 by Bruce Schneier and included in a large number of cipher suites and encryption products....
, Twofish
Twofish

In cryptography, Twofish is a Symmetric-key algorithm block cipher with a block size of 128 bits and key sizes up to 256 bits. It was one of the five finalists of the Advanced Encryption Standard process, but was not selected for standardisation....
 and MacGuffin
MacGuffin (cipher)

In cryptography, MacGuffin is a block cipher created in 1994 by Bruce Schneier and Matt Blaze at a Fast Software Encryption. It was intended as a catalyst for analysis of a new cipher structure, known as Generalized Unbalanced Feistel cipher ....
 block cipher
Block cipher

In cryptography, a block cipher is a symmetric key algorithm cipher which operates on fixed-length groups of bits, termed blocks, with an unvarying transformation....
s, the Helix and Phelix
Phelix

Phelix is a high-speed stream cipher with a built-in single-pass message authentication code functionality, submitted in 2004 to the eSTREAM contest by Doug Whiting, Bruce Schneier, Stefan Lucks, and Fr?d?ric Muller....
 stream ciphers, and the Yarrow
Yarrow algorithm

The Yarrow algorithm is a cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator. The name is taken from the yarrow plant, the stalks of which are dried and used as a randomising agent in I Ching divination....
 and Fortuna
Fortuna (PRNG)

Fortuna is a cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator devised by Bruce Schneier and Niels Ferguson. It is named after Fortuna , the Roman goddess of chance....
 cryptographically secure pseudo-random number generators. Solitaire
Solitaire (cipher)

The Solitaire cryptographic algorithm was designed by Bruce Schneier "to allow field agents to communicate securely without having to rely on electronics or having to carry incriminating tools", at the request of Neal Stephenson for use in his novel Cryptonomicon....
 is a cryptographic algorithm developed by Schneier for use by people without access to a computer, called Pontifex in Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson

Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer, known for his speculative fiction works, which have been variously categorized science fiction, historical fiction, maximalism, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk....
's novel Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon

Cryptonomicon is a 1999 novel by Neal Stephenson. It concurrently follows the exploits of World War II-era cryptographers affiliated with Bletchley Park in their attempts to crack Axis Powers codes and fight the Nazi submarine fleet, alongside the story of their descendants, who are attempting to use modern cryptography to build a data ha...
. In October 2008, Schneier, together with seven others, introduced the Skein hash function family, which has been submitted to the NIST hash function competition
NIST hash function competition

The NIST hash function competition refers to an open competition held by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology for a new SHA-3 function to replace the older SHA hash functions, which was formally announced in the Federal Register on November 2, 2007....
.

However, Schneier now denounces his early success as a naive, mathematical, and ivory tower
Ivory Tower

The term Ivory Tower originates in the Biblical Song of Solomon , and was later used as an epithet for Mary, the mother of Jesus.From the 19th century it has been, originally ironically, used to designate a world or atmosphere where intellectuals engage in pursuits that are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life....
 view of what is inherently a people problem. In Applied Cryptography, he implies that correctly implemented algorithms and technology promise safety and secrecy, and that following security protocol ensures security, regardless of the behavior of others. Schneier now argues that the incontrovertible mathematical guarantees miss the point. As he describes in Secrets and Lies, a business which uses RSA
RSA

In cryptography, RSA is an algorithm for public-key cryptography. It is the first algorithm known to be suitable for digital signature as well as encryption, and one of the first great advances in public key cryptography....
 encryption to protect its data without considering how the cryptographic keys are handled by employees on "complex, unstable, buggy" computers has failed to properly protect the information. An actual security solution that includes technology must also take into account the vagaries of hardware, software, networks, people, economics, and business. Schneier is now referring people trying to implement actually secure systems to his new book with Niels Ferguson
Niels Ferguson

Niels Ferguson is a Netherlands cryptography engineer and consultant who currently works for Microsoft. He has worked with others, including Bruce Schneier, designing cryptographic algorithms, testing algorithms and protocols, and writing papers and books....
, Practical Cryptography.

Writings on computer security and general security

In 2000, Schneier published Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World. In 2003, Schneier published Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World.

Schneier writes a freely available monthly Internet newsletter on computer and other security issues, Crypto-Gram, as well as a security weblog, Schneier on Security. The weblog started out as a way to publish essays before they appeared in Crypto-Gram, making it possible for others to comment on them while the stories were still current, but over time the newsletter became a monthly email version of the blog, re-edited and re-organized. Schneier is frequently quoted in the press on computer and other security issues, pointing out flaws in security and cryptographic implementations ranging from biometrics
Biometrics

Biometrics refers to two different fields of study and application:In biological studies it refers to the collection, synthesis, analysis and management of data in biology....
 to airline security
Airline security

Airline security refers to procedures as well as infrastructure designed to avoid security problems aboard aircraft. A related area is airport security....
 after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He also writes "Security Matters", a regular column for Wired Magazine.

Other writing

Schneier and his wife, Karen Cooper, write restaurant reviews for a number of Minneapolis papers, including the Star Tribune
Star Tribune

The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area....
.

Schneier and Cooper were nominated in 2000 for the Hugo Award
Hugo Award

The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories....
, in the category of Best Related Book
Hugo Award for Best Related Book

The Hugo Awards are given annually by members of the World Science Fiction Convention for the best science fiction or fantasy works. The awards are named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and given in various categories....
, for their Minicon 34 Restaurant Guide, a work originally published for the Minneapolis science fiction convention Minicon
Minicon

Minicon is a science fiction and fantasy Science fiction convention in Minneapolis usually held on Easter weekend. Started in 1968 and running approximately annually since then, it is one of the oldest science fiction conventions in the midwest United States....
 which gained a readership internationally in science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom

Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy literature, and in contact with one another based upon that interest....
 for its wit and good humor.

Individual-i

Schneier designed the "individual-i" symbol and released it into public domain to promote individual rights
Individual rights

Individual rights refer to the rights of individuals, in contrast with group rights. An individual right is the sanction of independent action....
.

Publications

  • Schneier, Bruce. Applied Cryptography, John Wiley & Sons, 1994. ISBN 0-471-59756-2
  • Schneier, Bruce. Protect Your Macintosh, Peachpit Press, 1994. ISBN 1-56609-101-2
  • Schneier, Bruce. E-Mail Security, John Wiley & Sons, 1995. ISBN 0-471-05318-X
  • Schneier, Bruce. Applied Cryptography, Second Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 1996. ISBN 0-471-11709-9
  • Schneier, Bruce; Kelsey, John; Whiting, Doug; Wagner, David; Hall, Chris; Ferguson, Niels. The Twofish Encryption Algorithm
    Twofish

    In cryptography, Twofish is a Symmetric-key algorithm block cipher with a block size of 128 bits and key sizes up to 256 bits. It was one of the five finalists of the Advanced Encryption Standard process, but was not selected for standardisation....
    , John Wiley & Sons, 1996. ISBN 0-471-35381-7
  • Schneier, Bruce; Banisar, David. The Electronic Privacy Papers, John Wiley & Sons, 1997. ISBN 0-471-12297-1
  • Schneier, Bruce. Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World, John Wiley & Sons, 2000. ISBN 0-471-25311-1
  • Schneier, Bruce. Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly about Security in an Uncertain World, Copernicus Books, 2003. ISBN 0-387-02620-7
  • Ferguson, Niels; Schneier, Bruce. Practical Cryptography, John Wiley & Sons, 2003. ISBN 0-471-22357-3
  • Schneier, Bruce. Schneier on Security, John Wiley & Sons, 2008. 0-470-39535-6


See also

  • Attack tree
    Attack tree

    Attack trees are conceptual diagrams of threats on computer systems and possible attacks to reach those threats. The concept was suggested by Bruce Schneier, CIO of Counterpane Internet Security....
  • Failing badly
    Failing badly

    Failing badly and failing well are concepts in systems security and network security describing how a system reacts to failure. The terms have been popularized by Bruce Schneier, a cryptography and security consultant....
  • Security theater
    Security theater

    File:Bruce Schneier 1.jpgSecurity theater consists of security countermeasures intended to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to actually improve security....
  • Snake oil (cryptography)
    Snake oil (cryptography)

    In cryptography, snake oil is a term used to describe commercial cryptographic methods and products which are considered bogus or fraudulent. The name derives from snake oil, one type of quack medicine widely available in 19th Century United States....
  • Schneier's Law
    Schneier's Law

    The term "Schneier's Law" was coined by Cory Doctorow in his speech about Digital Rights Management for Microsoft Research. The law is phrased as:He attributes this to Bruce Schneier, presumably making reference to his book Applied Cryptography, although the principle predates its publication....


External links