August Kerckhoffs: the father of computer security - History (2024)

August Kerckhoffs: the father of computer security - History (1)

February, 1883: August Kerckhoffs, a linguist and professor of German at HEC, published an article in the Journal of Military Science that was to go down in history. Without realizing it, Kerckhoff had laid the foundations for modern cryptography, which was to make him universally recognized as the father of all computer security. Initially applied to telegraphs, “Kerckhoffs’s principle” declared the significance of the key in the creation of algorithms. In other words, it is thanks to this man that we usepasswords and pin codes today!

August Kerckhoffs: the father of computer security - History (2024)

FAQs

Who is the father of computer security answer? ›

Who is the father of computer security? Explanation: August Kerckhoffs, a linguist and German professor at HEC, wrote an essay in the Journal of Military Science in February 1883. Kerckhoff had unwittingly established the foundations for contemporary encryption, earning him the title of “Father of Computer Security.”

What is Kerckhoff's principle in information security? ›

Kerckhoffs' Principle states that the security of a cryptosystem must lie in the choice of its keys only; everything else (including the algorithm itself) should be considered public knowledge.

Which of the following is an example of Kerckhoff's principle? ›

An example of Kerckhoff's principle in practice would be a bank using a publicly-known encryption algorithm to protect their customer's financial data, but only giving the decryption key to authorized employees.

Who is the father of cyber security? ›

Bob Thomas is a computer scientist who is widely regarded as the father of cybersecurity. He gained notoriety in 1971 when he created the first computer virus, called the "Creeper virus." The virus was not malicious and was designed to demonstrate the vulnerability of computer systems.

Who is the father of computer answers? ›

​The correct answer is Charles Babbage. Charles Babbage is considered the father of computers. Charles Babbage invented the machine called the Analytical Engine, which is a model of today's computers. Since he was the first person who gave us the basic idea of computers, he is known as the 'father of computers.

What is the computer answer? ›

Computer : is an electronic device that operates (works) under the control of programs stored in its own memory unit. A computer is an electronic machine that processes raw data to give information as output.

What is the key point of Kerckhoff's second principle ie the one principle most applicable to modern cryptographic algorithms? ›

The principle holds that a cryptosystem should be secure, even if everything about the system, except the key, is public knowledge. This concept is widely embraced by cryptographers, in contrast to security through obscurity, which is not.

What are Kerckhoff's laws? ›

According to Kirchhoff's Voltage Law, The voltage around a loop equals the sum of every voltage drop in the same loop for any closed network and equals zero. Put differently, the algebraic sum of every voltage in the loop has to be equal to zero and this property of Kirchhoff's law is called conservation of energy.

What are the principles of Kirkhoff? ›

Kirchhoff's first rule—the junction rule: The sum of all currents entering a junction must equal the sum of all currents leaving the junction. Kirchhoff's second rule—the loop rule: The algebraic sum of changes in potential around any closed circuit path (loop) must be zero.

Why is the Kerckhoff's principle important in cryptology? ›

Kerckhoffs' principle is a fundamental concept in cryptography. It states that the security of a cryptographic system shouldn't rely on the secrecy of the algorithm. Instead, it should be based on the secrecy of the cryptographic key. A good cryptographic system should remain secure even if the algorithm used is known.

What is 3DES in cyber security? ›

3DES Encryption, also known as Triple Data Encryption Standard (DES), is a type of cryptography where block cipher algorithms are applied three times to each data block. The key size is increased in Triple-DES to ensure additional security through encryption capabilities. Each block contains 64 bits of data.

Is security through obscurity good? ›

The effectiveness of obscurity in operations security depends on whether the obscurity lives on top of other good security practices, or if it is being used alone. When used as an independent layer, obscurity is considered a valid security tool.

Who was the first hacker? ›

John Draper, also known as Captain Crunch, is often named as the first ever hacker. And rather than having lots of high-tech hacking tools at his disposal, he managed to do it all with a toy whistle from a cereal packet.

Who discovered cyber security? ›

Cybersecurity history is interesting indeed. It is thought to have started in 1971 when Bob Thomas, a computer programmer with BBN, created and deployed a virus that served as a security test. It was not malicious but did highlight areas of vulnerability and security flaws in what would become “the internet.”

Who is the youngest cyber attacker? ›

Kristoffer Wilhelm von Hassel (born 2008) is an American boy known for being the world's youngest known hacker and notable for being the youngest "security researcher" listed on Microsoft's Security Techcenter as having exposed a security vulnerability.

Who is known as the father of security? ›

Benjamin Graham, Building a Profession: The Early Writings of the Father of Security Analysis: Classic Writings of the Father of Security Analysis (PROFESSIONAL FINANCE & INVESTM)

Who invented computer security? ›

Cybersecurity history is interesting indeed. It is thought to have started in 1971 when Bob Thomas, a computer programmer with BBN, created and deployed a virus that served as a security test. It was not malicious but did highlight areas of vulnerability and security flaws in what would become “the internet.”

Who is the current father of computer? ›

The father of modern computer is Alan Turing.

He created the Turing machine, which gave rise to the idea of computations and algorithms. He was born in England on June 23, 1912. The inventive mathematician Alan Turing is widely acknowledged as the father of modern computer science.

Who is considered a father of the computer password? ›

Who is the father of the computer password? Fernando Corbato, whose work on computer time-sharing system(CTSS) in the 1960s helped pave the way for the personal computer, as well as the computer password. Thus fernando corbato is known as the father of the computer password.

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