Bruce Schneier

This biography of a living person does not cite any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately.(December 2008) Find sources: (Bruce Schneier – news, books, scholar)

Bruce Schneier
Born	January 15, 1963 (1963-01-15) (age 46)[citation needed]
Residence	United States
Citizenship	American
Fields	Computer science
Institutions	Counterpane Internet Security Bell Labs United States Department of Defense BT Group
Alma mater	American University University of Rochester
Known for	Cryptography, security

Bruce Schneier (born January 15, 1963,^{[citation needed]} pronounced /ˈʃnаɪər/) is an American cryptographer, computer security specialist, and writer. He is the author of several books on computer security and cryptography, and is the founder and chief technology officer of BT Counterpane, formerly Counterpane Internet Security, Inc. He received his master's degree in computer science from the American University in Washington, DC in 1988^[1].

Writings on computer security and general security

In 2000, Schneier published Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World. In 2003, Schneier published Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World.

Schneier writes a freely available monthly Internet newsletter on computer and other security issues, Crypto-Gram, as well as a security weblog, Schneier on Security. The weblog started out as a way to publish essays before they appeared in Crypto-Gram, making it possible for others to comment on them while the stories were still current, but over time the newsletter became a monthly email version of the blog, re-edited and re-organized.^{[2][citation needed]} Schneier is frequently quoted in the press on computer and other security issues, pointing out flaws in security and cryptographic implementations ranging from biometrics to airline security after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He also writes "Security Matters", a regular column for Wired Magazine.^[3]

He has also criticized security approaches that try to prevent any malicious incursion, instead arguing that designing systems to fail well is more important.^[4]

Schneier revealed on his blog that in the December 2004 issue of the SIGCSE Bulletin, three Pakistani academics, Khawaja Amer Hayat, Umar Waqar Anis, and S. Tauseef-ur-Rehman, from the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan, plagiarized an article written by Schneier and got it published.^[5] The same academics subsequently plagiarized another article by Schneier on "Analysis of Real-time Transport Protocol Security" as well.^[5] Schneier complained to the editors of the periodical, which generated a minor controversy.^[6] The editor of the SIGCSE Bulletin removed the paper from their website and demanded official letters of admission and apology. Schneier noted on his blog that International Islamic University personnel had requested him "to close comments in this blog entry"; Schneier refused to close comments on the blog, but he did delete posts which he deemed "incoherent or hostile".^[5]

Other writing

Schneier and Karen Cooper were nominated in 2000 for the Hugo Award, in the category of Best Related Book, for their Minicon 34 Restaurant Guide, a work originally published for the Minneapolis science fiction convention Minicon which gained a readership internationally in science fiction fandom for its wit and good humor.^[7]

Cryptographic Algorithms

Schneier has been involved in the creation of many cryptographic algorithms.

Hash functions:

• Skein (hash function)

Stream ciphers

• Solitaire (cipher)
• Phelix
• Helix

Pseudo-Random number generators

• Fortuna (PRNG)
• Yarrow algorithm

Block ciphers

• Twofish
• Blowfish (cipher)
• Threefish
• MacGuffin (cipher)

Publications

• Schneier, Bruce. Applied Cryptography, John Wiley & Sons, 1994. ISBN 0-471-59756-2
• Schneier, Bruce. Protect Your Macintosh, Peachpit Press, 1994. ISBN 1-56609-101-2
• Schneier, Bruce. E-Mail Security, John Wiley & Sons, 1995. ISBN 0-471-05318-X
• Schneier, Bruce. Applied Cryptography, Second Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 1996. ISBN 0-471-11709-9
• Schneier, Bruce; Kelsey, John; Whiting, Doug; Wagner, David; Hall, Chris; Ferguson, Niels. The Twofish Encryption Algorithm, John Wiley & Sons, 1996. ISBN 0-471-35381-7
• Schneier, Bruce; Banisar, David. The Electronic Privacy Papers, John Wiley & Sons, 1997. ISBN 0-471-12297-1
• Schneier, Bruce. Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World, John Wiley & Sons, 2000. ISBN 0-471-25311-1
• Schneier, Bruce. Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly about Security in an Uncertain World, Copernicus Books, 2003. ISBN 0-387-02620-7
• Ferguson, Niels; Schneier, Bruce. Practical Cryptography, John Wiley & Sons, 2003. ISBN 0-471-22357-3
• Schneier, Bruce. Schneier on Security, John Wiley & Sons, 2008. ISBN 978-0-470-39535-6

See also

• Attack tree
• Failing badly
• Security theater
• Snake oil (cryptography)
• Schneier's Law

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bruce Schneier

• Personal website, Schneier.com
• individual-i page
• Talking security with Bruce Almighty
• Schneier at the 2009 RSA conference, video with Schneier participating on the Cryptographer's Panel, April 21, 2009, Moscone Center, San Francisco
• Bruce Schneier Facts (Parody)