Ron Rivest
Encyclopedia
Ronald Linn Rivest is a cryptographer
. He is the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Computer Science at MIT
's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and a member of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
(CSAIL). He is a member of the Election Assistance Commission
's Technical Guidelines Development Committee
, tasked with assisting the EAC in drafting the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines.
Rivest is one of the inventors of the RSA algorithm (along with Adi Shamir
and Len Adleman). He is the inventor of the symmetric key encryption algorithms RC2
, RC4, RC5
, and co-inventor of RC6
. The "RC" stands for "Rivest Cipher", or alternatively, "Ron's Code". (RC3 was broken at RSA Security
during development; similarly, RC1 was never published.) He also authored the MD2, MD4
, MD5
and MD6
cryptographic hash function
s. In 2006, he published his invention of the ThreeBallot
voting system, an innovative voting system that incorporates the ability for the voter to discern that their vote was counted while still protecting their voter privacy. Most importantly, this system does not rely on cryptography at all. Stating "Our democracy is too important", he simultaneously placed ThreeBallot in the public domain.
in Mathematics from Yale University
in 1969, and a Ph.D.
degree in Computer Science
from Stanford University
in 1974. He is a co-author of Introduction to Algorithms
(also known as 'CLRS'), a standard textbook on algorithms, with Thomas H. Cormen
, Charles E. Leiserson
and Clifford Stein
. He is a member of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) in the Theory of Computation Group, and a founder of its Cryptography and Information Security Group. He was also a founder of RSA Data Security (now merged with Security Dynamics to form RSA Security
) and of Peppercoin
. Professor Rivest has research interests in cryptography, computer and network security, and algorithms.
, the National Academy of Sciences
, and is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery
, the International Association for Cryptologic Research
, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. Together with Adi Shamir
and Len Adleman, he has been awarded the 2000 IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award and the Secure Computing Lifetime Achievement Award. He also shared with them the Turing Award
. Rivest has received an honorary degree (the "laurea honoris causa") from the University of Rome. He is a Fellow of the World Technology Network and a Finalist for the 2002 World Technology Award
for Communications Technology. In 2005, he received the MITX Lifetime Achievement Award. Rivest was named the 2007 the Marconi Fellow, and on May 29, 2008 he also gave the Chesley lecture at Carleton College
.
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
. He is the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Computer Science at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and a member of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is a research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology formed by the 2003 merger of the Laboratory for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory...
(CSAIL). He is a member of the Election Assistance Commission
Election Assistance Commission
The Election Assistance Commission is an independent agency of the United States government created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 . The Commission serves as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding election administration...
's Technical Guidelines Development Committee
Technical Guidelines Development Committee
The Technical Guidelines Development Committee of the National Institute of Standards and Technology supports the Election Assistance Commission in the United States by providing recommendations on voluntary standards and guidelines related to voting equipment and technologies...
, tasked with assisting the EAC in drafting the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines.
Rivest is one of the inventors of the RSA algorithm (along with Adi Shamir
Adi Shamir
Adi Shamir is an Israeli cryptographer. He is a co-inventor of the RSA algorithm , a co-inventor of the Feige–Fiat–Shamir identification scheme , one of the inventors of differential cryptanalysis and has made numerous contributions to the fields of cryptography and computer...
and Len Adleman). He is the inventor of the symmetric key encryption algorithms RC2
RC2
In cryptography, RC2 is a block cipher designed by Ron Rivest in 1987. "RC" stands for "Ron's Code" or "Rivest Cipher"; other ciphers designed by Rivest include RC4, RC5 and RC6....
, RC4, RC5
RC5
In cryptography, RC5 is a block cipher notable for its simplicity. Designed by Ronald Rivest in 1994, RC stands for "Rivest Cipher", or alternatively, "Ron's Code"...
, and co-inventor of RC6
RC6
In cryptography, RC6 is a symmetric key block cipher derived from RC5. It was designed by Ron Rivest, Matt Robshaw, Ray Sidney, and Yiqun Lisa Yin to meet the requirements of the Advanced Encryption Standard competition. The algorithm was one of the five finalists, and was also submitted to the...
. The "RC" stands for "Rivest Cipher", or alternatively, "Ron's Code". (RC3 was broken at RSA Security
RSA Security
RSA, the security division of EMC Corporation, is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, and maintains offices in Australia, Ireland, Israel, the United Kingdom, Singapore, India, China, Hong Kong and Japan....
during development; similarly, RC1 was never published.) He also authored the MD2, MD4
MD4
The MD4 Message-Digest Algorithm is a cryptographic hash function developed by Ronald Rivest in 1990. The digest length is 128 bits. The algorithm has influenced later designs, such as the MD5, SHA-1 and RIPEMD algorithms....
, MD5
MD5
The MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm is a widely used cryptographic hash function that produces a 128-bit hash value. Specified in RFC 1321, MD5 has been employed in a wide variety of security applications, and is also commonly used to check data integrity...
and MD6
MD6
The MD6 Message-Digest Algorithm is a cryptographic hash function. It uses a Merkle tree-like structure to allow for immense parallel computation of hashes for very long inputs...
cryptographic hash function
Cryptographic hash function
A cryptographic hash function is a deterministic procedure that takes an arbitrary block of data and returns a fixed-size bit string, the hash value, such that an accidental or intentional change to the data will change the hash value...
s. In 2006, he published his invention of the ThreeBallot
ThreeBallot
ThreeBallot is a voting protocol invented by Ron Rivest.ThreeBallot is an end-to-end auditable voting system that can in principle be implemented on paper. The goal in its design was to provide some of the benefits of a cryptographic voting system without using cryptography.A vote cannot be both...
voting system, an innovative voting system that incorporates the ability for the voter to discern that their vote was counted while still protecting their voter privacy. Most importantly, this system does not rely on cryptography at all. Stating "Our democracy is too important", he simultaneously placed ThreeBallot in the public domain.
Education
He earned a Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Mathematics from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1969, and 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...
degree in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing 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 Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1974. He is a co-author of Introduction to Algorithms
Introduction to Algorithms
Introduction to Algorithms is a book by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein. It is used as the textbook for algorithms courses at many universities. It is also one of the most commonly cited references for algorithms in published papers, with over 4600...
(also known as 'CLRS'), a standard textbook on algorithms, with Thomas H. Cormen
Thomas H. Cormen
Thomas H. Cormen is the co-author of Introduction to Algorithms, along with Charles Leiserson, Ron Rivest, and Cliff Stein. He is a Full Professor of computer science at Dartmouth College and currently Chair of the Dartmouth College Department of Computer Science. Between 2004 and 2008 he directed...
, Charles E. Leiserson
Charles E. Leiserson
Charles Eric Leiserson is a computer scientist, specializing in the theory of parallel computing and distributed computing, and particularly practical applications thereof; as part of this effort, he developed the Cilk multithreaded language...
and Clifford Stein
Clifford Stein
Clifford Stein, a computer scientist, is currently a professor of industrial engineering and operations research at Columbia University in New York, NY, where he also holds an appointment in the Department of Computer Science. Stein is chair of the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research...
. He is a member of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) in the Theory of Computation Group, and a founder of its Cryptography and Information Security Group. He was also a founder of RSA Data Security (now merged with Security Dynamics to form RSA Security
RSA Security
RSA, the security division of EMC Corporation, is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, and maintains offices in Australia, Ireland, Israel, the United Kingdom, Singapore, India, China, Hong Kong and Japan....
) and of Peppercoin
Peppercoin
Peppercoin is a cryptographic system for processing micropayments. Peppercoin Inc. was a company that offers services based on the peppercoin method....
. Professor Rivest has research interests in cryptography, computer and network security, and algorithms.
Honors and awards
Rivest is a member of the National Academy of EngineeringNational Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
, the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, and is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
, the International Association for Cryptologic Research
International Association for Cryptologic Research
The International Association for Cryptologic Research is a non-profit scientific organization whose purpose is to further research in cryptology and related fields...
, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. Together with Adi Shamir
Adi Shamir
Adi Shamir is an Israeli cryptographer. He is a co-inventor of the RSA algorithm , a co-inventor of the Feige–Fiat–Shamir identification scheme , one of the inventors of differential cryptanalysis and has made numerous contributions to the fields of cryptography and computer...
and Len Adleman, he has been awarded the 2000 IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award and the Secure Computing Lifetime Achievement Award. He also shared with them the Turing Award
Turing Award
The Turing Award, in full The ACM A.M. Turing Award, is an annual award given by the Association for Computing Machinery to "an individual selected for contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community. The contributions should be of lasting and major technical importance to the...
. Rivest has received an honorary degree (the "laurea honoris causa") from the University of Rome. He is a Fellow of the World Technology Network and a Finalist for the 2002 World Technology Award
World Technology Award
The World Technology Awards are presented annually by The World Technology Network at its World Technology Summit to individuals and corporations achieving significant, lasting progress in categories pertaining to science, technology, the arts, and design...
for Communications Technology. In 2005, he received the MITX Lifetime Achievement Award. Rivest was named the 2007 the Marconi Fellow, and on May 29, 2008 he also gave the Chesley lecture at Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
.
External links
- List of Ron Rivest's publications on DBLP
- List of Ron Rivest's patents on IPEXL
- Home page of Ronald L. Rivest
- Official site of RSA Security Inc.
- Ron Rivest election research papers
- The ThreeBallot Voting System (PDF)
- Rivest at the 2009 RSA conference, video with Rivest participating on the Cryptographer's Panel, April 21, 2009, Moscone Center, San Francisco