Ian Goldberg
Encyclopedia
Ian Avrum Goldberg is a cryptographer and cypherpunk
. He is best known for breaking Netscape's implementation of SSL (with David Wagner), and for his role as Chief Scientist of Radialpoint (formerly Zero-Knowledge Systems), a Canadian software company. Goldberg is currently an associate professor at the School of Computer Science
, University of Waterloo
.
, graduating in 1991. In 1995, he received a B.Math from the University of Waterloo
in Pure Mathematics and Computer Science. He obtained a Ph.D.
from the University of California, Berkeley
in December 2000. His thesis was entitled A Pseudonymous Communications Infrastructure for the Internet. His advisor was Eric Brewer
.
from 1989 to 1991, where he received a bronze, silver, and gold medal respectively. He was also a member of University of Waterloo
team that won the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest
in 1994. In 1998, Wired Magazine chose him as a member of the "Wired 25".
.
One of the first cryptanalyses on the WEP
wireless encryption protocol was conducted by Goldberg with Nikita Borisov
and David Wagner, revealing serious flaws in its design.
Goldberg was a co-author of the Off-the-Record
instant messaging
encryption protocol. He is also the author of the Perl
script given in Cryptonomicon
, a novel by Neal Stephenson
.
Cypherpunk
A cypherpunk is an activist advocating widespread use of strong cryptography as a route to social and political change.Originally communicating through the Cypherpunks electronic mailing list, informal groups aimed to achieve privacy and security through proactive use of cryptography...
. He is best known for breaking Netscape's implementation of SSL (with David Wagner), and for his role as Chief Scientist of Radialpoint (formerly Zero-Knowledge Systems), a Canadian software company. Goldberg is currently an associate professor at the School of Computer Science
David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science
The David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science is the School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. Part of the Faculty of Mathematics, the school comprises 77 faculty members, nearly 300 graduate students, approximately 2100 undergraduates, and 55 staff members.-History:In 1965,...
, University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
.
Education
He attended high school at the University of Toronto SchoolsUniversity of Toronto Schools
The University of Toronto Schools is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, graduating in 1991. In 1995, he received a B.Math from the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
in Pure Mathematics and Computer Science. He obtained a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in December 2000. His thesis was entitled A Pseudonymous Communications Infrastructure for the Internet. His advisor was Eric Brewer
Eric Brewer (computer scientist)
Eric A. Brewer is the main inventor of a wireless networking scheme called WiLDNet which promises to bring low-cost connectivity to rural areas of the developing world. He was made a tenured professor at UC Berkeley at the age of 32. In 1996, Brewer co-founded Inktomi Corporation. He is known for...
.
Accomplishments
As a high school student, Goldberg was a member of Canada's team to the International Math OlympiadInternational Mathematical Olympiad
The International Mathematical Olympiad is an annual six-problem, 42-point mathematical olympiad for pre-collegiate students and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except in 1980...
from 1989 to 1991, where he received a bronze, silver, and gold medal respectively. He was also a member of University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
team that won the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest
ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest
ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest is an annual multi-tiered computer programming competition among the universities of the world. The contest is sponsored by IBM. Headquartered at Baylor University, with autonomous regions on six continents, the ICPC is directed by Baylor Professor...
in 1994. In 1998, Wired Magazine chose him as a member of the "Wired 25".
Work in cryptography
In 1995, Ian Goldberg with David Wagner discovered a flaw in the random number generator used for temporary key generation in the SSL implementation of Netscape NavigatorNetscape Navigator
Netscape Navigator was a proprietary web browser that was popular in the 1990s. It was the flagship product of the Netscape Communications Corporation and the dominant web browser in terms of usage share, although by 2002 its usage had almost disappeared...
.
One of the first cryptanalyses on the WEP
Wired Equivalent Privacy
Wired Equivalent Privacy is a weak security algorithm for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. Introduced as part of the original 802.11 standard ratified in September 1999, its intention was to provide data confidentiality comparable to that of a traditional wired network...
wireless encryption protocol was conducted by Goldberg with Nikita Borisov
Nikita Borisov
Nikita Borisov is a cryptographer and computer security researcher, currently an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign...
and David Wagner, revealing serious flaws in its design.
Goldberg was a co-author of the Off-the-Record
Off-the-record messaging
Off-the-Record Messaging, commonly referred to as OTR, is a cryptographic protocol that provides strong encryption for instant messaging conversations. OTR uses a combination of the AES symmetric-key algorithm, the Diffie–Hellman key exchange, and the SHA-1 hash function...
instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
encryption protocol. He is also the author of the Perl
Perl
Perl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier. Since then, it has undergone many changes and revisions and become widely popular...
script given in Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon is a 1999 novel by American author Neal Stephenson. The novel follows the exploits of two groups of people in two different time periods, presented in alternating chapters...
, a novel by Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson
Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction.Difficult to categorize, his novels have been variously referred to as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk...
.
External links
- Ian Goldberg's personal website
- Ian Goldberg at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer ScienceDavid R. Cheriton School of Computer ScienceThe David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science is the School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. Part of the Faculty of Mathematics, the school comprises 77 faculty members, nearly 300 graduate students, approximately 2100 undergraduates, and 55 staff members.-History:In 1965,...