Computing Atlas

How Computing Was Built
Pioneers

Whitfield Diffie

Cryptographer

Citation Formats

General Reference

APA Style

BibTeX

American cryptographer who, with Martin Hellman, published the 1976 paper New Directions in Cryptography, introducing public key cryptography and a practical method for two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel. He and Hellman shared the 2015 Turing Award.

Facts
Birth Year
1944 1
Birth Date
1944-06-05 1
Nationality
American 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

In Field

Invented

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Whitfield Diffie
Wikimedia FoundationEarly life and education
Quote, Early life and education
His interest in cryptography began at age 10 when his father, a professor, brought home the entire crypto shelf of the City College Library in New York.
View the Source
1. Wikipedia: Whitfield Diffie
Wikimedia FoundationInfobox
Quote, Infobox
Bailey Whitfield Diffie, born June 5, 1944, Washington, D.C., U.S.
View the Source
1. Wikipedia: Whitfield Diffie
Wikimedia FoundationInvented: Public Key Cryptography, Public discovery (public-key-cryptography article)
Quote, Invented: Public Key Cryptography, Public discovery (public-key-cryptography article)
In 1976, an asymmetric key cryptosystem was published by Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman who, influenced by Ralph Merkle's work on public key distribution, disclosed a method of public key agreement.
View the Source
1. Wikipedia: Whitfield Diffie
Wikimedia FoundationIn Field: Information Security, Awards and honors section
Quote, In Field: Information Security, Awards and honors section
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.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

View At A Past Year

The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.