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Security Pioneer's Lifelong Battle Against Digital Perils
18 May
Summary
- He warned for decades about the industry's lax security and privacy attitudes.
- Developed Cheri hardware approach restricting software to prevent malicious code.
- Donated $4 million to San Francisco Symphony to save its chorus in Dec 2024.
Peter G. Neumann, a distinguished computer security researcher and a critical voice for decades, passed away on Sunday at 93. He dedicated his career to warning the industry about its lax attitudes toward computer security and individual digital privacy. His early inspiration came from a 1952 breakfast with Albert Einstein, influencing his lifelong pursuit of understanding complexity.
Dr. Neumann, who worked at SRI International since 1971, was a key figure in developing the Cheri research project, funded by Darpa. This project created a new hardware approach that physically prevents malicious instructions from executing, akin to replacing a master key with specific, uncopyable room keys. This design is now being commercialized for consumer and industrial products by the CHERI Alliance, with companies like Google and Microsoft adopting it.
Beginning in 1985, he managed the Association for Computing Machinery Risks Forum, a vast collection of computer failures and flaws. This work formed the basis of his 1995 book, "Computer-Related Risks." He also contributed to the Emerald project, aimed at detecting intruders in large computer networks.
Neumann's influence extended beyond his research. He was known for his humility and for advocating for hardware designed with security in mind from the start. In December 2024, he anonymously donated $4 million to the San Francisco Symphony to save its chorus, a testament to his philanthropic spirit.
