Information security is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. Its organizing idea is the balanced protection of three properties, confidentiality, integrity and availability, known as the CIA triad, pursued through policy, engineering and the cryptographic techniques this atlas covers under its own field. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearThe need for computer security appeared during the Second World War, but the field's founding statement of principles is usually dated to the 1972 Anderson Report, so the origin year depends on whether the wartime need or the formal discipline is being dated. Core ConcernKeeping information confidential, correct and available to the people entitled to it, against both accident and attack. 1 Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Claude Shannon
Source Wikipedia: Cryptography
Includes
Source Brent Waters (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: crypt (C)
Source D. Richard Kuhn (Wikipedia)
Source Dan Boneh, Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia: David A. Wagner
Source Wikipedia: Dorothy E. Denning
Source Wikipedia: Edward Felten
Source Elisa Bertino, Wikipedia
Source Gene Spafford (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Gutmann method
Source Wikipedia: Ian Coldwater
Source Jung Hee Cheon (Wikipedia)
Source L. Jean Camp - Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia: Latanya Sweeney
Source Marc Stiegler (Wikipedia)
Source Michael Gregg (Wikipedia)
Source N. Asokan, Wikipedia
Source Neil Daswani - Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia: Parisa Tabriz
Source Wikipedia: Public Key Cryptography
Source Wikipedia: Richard DeMillo
Source Robert M. Graham (computer scientist) (Wikipedia)
Source Robert Tappan Morris (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Roberto Tamassia
Source Ross J. Anderson (Wikipedia)
Source Salvatore J. Stolfo (Wikipedia)
Source Steve Schneider (computer scientist) (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Steven M. Bellovin Encyclopedia Article
Source Sushil Jajodia (Wikipedia)
Source Vern Paxson (Wikipedia)
Source Wenliang Du (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Whitfield Diffie
Source Willis Ware - Wikipedia
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Information Security
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Information security (infosec) is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks.
Lead section
Information security's primary focus is the balanced protection of data confidentiality, integrity, and availability (known as the CIA triad, unrelated to the US government organization) while maintaining a focus on efficient policy implementation but without hampering organization productivity.
History
The establishment of computer security inaugurated the history of information security.
View the Source Wikipedia: Whitfield Diffie
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Whitfield Diffie, Awards and honorsQuote, Includes: Whitfield Diffie, Awards and honors
Diffie and Hellman's groundbreaking 1976 paper, 'New Directions in Cryptography', introduced the ideas of public-key cryptography and digital signatures, which are the foundation for most regularly-used security protocols on the internet today." Diffie received an honorary doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in 1992.
Wikipedia: Cryptography
WikipediaAssociated With: Cryptography, Lead sectionQuote, Associated With: Cryptography, Lead section
Core concepts related to information security (data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication and non-repudiation) are also central to cryptography.
Wikipedia: Public Key Cryptography
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Public Key Cryptography, Lead sectionQuote, Includes: Public Key Cryptography, Lead section
Public-key cryptography, or asymmetric cryptography, is the field of cryptographic systems that use pairs of related keys.
Wikipedia: Claude Shannon
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Claude Shannon, Wartime research sectionQuote, Associated With: Claude Shannon, Wartime research section
a turning point, and marked the closure of classical cryptography and the beginning of modern cryptography
Wikipedia: Edward Felten
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Edward Felten, LeadQuote, Includes: Edward Felten, Lead
Felten has done a variety of computer security research, including work on proof-carrying authentication and work on security related to the Java programming language, but he is perhaps best known for his paper on the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) challenge.
Wikipedia: Latanya Sweeney
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Latanya Sweeney, LeadQuote, Includes: Latanya Sweeney, Lead
She is the founder and director of the Public Interest Tech Lab, founded in 2021 with a $3 million grant from the Ford Foundation as well as the Data Privacy Lab.
N. Asokan, Wikipedia
Includes: N. Asokan, LeadQuote, Includes: N. Asokan, Lead
He served as Executive Director of Waterloo’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute from May 2021 to November 2025.
Marc Stiegler (Wikipedia)
Includes: Marc Stiegler, LeadQuote, Includes: Marc Stiegler, Lead
In the late 1990s, his focus shifted to computer security.
Robert Tappan Morris (Wikipedia)
Includes: Robert Tappan Morris, LeadQuote, Includes: Robert Tappan Morris, Lead
He is best known for creating the Morris worm in 1988, considered the first computer worm on the Internet.
Ross J. Anderson (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ross J. Anderson, LeadQuote, Includes: Ross J. Anderson, Lead
Ross John Anderson (15 September 1956-28 March 2024) was a British researcher, author, and industry consultant in security engineering.
L. Jean Camp - Wikipedia
Includes: L. Jean Camp, Lead sentence
Linda Jean Camp is an American computer scientist whose research concerns information security, with a focus on human-centered design, autonomy, and safety.
- Includes: L. Jean Camp, Lead paragraph
View the SourceSalvatore J. Stolfo (Wikipedia)
Includes: Salvatore J. Stolfo, Lead sentence
Salvatore J. Stolfo is an academic and professor of computer science at Columbia University, specializing in computer security.
- Includes: Salvatore J. Stolfo, Lead paragraph
View the SourceWikipedia: David A. Wagner
Wikipedia: Parisa Tabriz
Wikipedia: Dorothy E. Denning
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Dorothy E. Denning, Lead paragraphView the Source Wikipedia: Steven M. Bellovin Encyclopedia Article
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Steven M. Bellovin, Lead paragraphView the Source Wikipedia: Ian Coldwater
Neil Daswani - Wikipedia
Elisa Bertino, Wikipedia
Dan Boneh, Wikipedia
Michael Gregg (Wikipedia)
Gene Spafford (Wikipedia)
D. Richard Kuhn (Wikipedia)
Robert M. Graham (computer scientist) (Wikipedia)
Includes: Robert M. Graham (computer scientist), Lead paragraphView the Source Steve Schneider (computer scientist) (Wikipedia)
Includes: Steve Schneider (computer scientist), Lead paragraphView the Source Vern Paxson (Wikipedia)
Brent Waters (Wikipedia)
Sushil Jajodia (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia: Gutmann method
Wikipedia: crypt (C)
Wikipedia: Richard DeMillo
Includes: Richard DeMillo, Infobox field and known_for, lead paragraphView the Source Wikipedia: Roberto Tamassia
Includes: Roberto Tamassia, LeadQuote, Includes: Roberto Tamassia, Lead
His research specialty is in the design and analysis of algorithms for graph drawing, computational geometry, and computer security.
Willis Ware - Wikipedia
Includes: Willis Ware, LeadQuote, Includes: Willis Ware, Lead
He was also a pioneer of privacy rights, social critic of technology policy, and a founder in the field of computer security.
Wenliang Du (Wikipedia)
Includes: Wenliang Du, LeadQuote, Includes: Wenliang Du, Lead
He was named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2023 for his contributions to cybersecurity education and research.
Jung Hee Cheon (Wikipedia)
Includes: Jung Hee Cheon, LeadQuote, Includes: Jung Hee Cheon, Lead
His research interests include computational number theory, cryptology, and information security.
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