Peter G. Neumann of SRI received the 2002 Computer System Security Award,
which is given annually by NIST and the National Security Agency. The award is
granted for outstanding contributions toward the advancement of computer security
technology and is generally considered the most prestigious award in the area of
information security and assurance.
Neumann has helped create many of the fundamental principles in building
secure computer and communications systems. During the late 1960s,
Neumann had a leadership role in the design, development and management
of the Multiplexed Information Computing Services (MULTICS) operating
system along with researchers at leading universities and computer
companies. This work was used as the security test- bed for some of the
most important and seminal security ideas.
In the 1970s, Neumann led the design of the Provably Secure Operating
System (PSOS), which was the first design based on formal security
analysis.
Neumann has energized and led debates on national issues related to
security, reliability, human safety and trustworthy design. He has
participated in several National Academy of Sciences studies, including
two that produced highly regarded reports Computers at Risk: Safe
Computing in the Information Age in 1990 and CRISIS (Cryptography’s Role
in Securing the Information Society), a report on U.S. cryptographic
policy in 1996.
His book, Computer-Related Risks, is in its fourth printing.
A nominee must meet at least one of the following criteria to be considered for the Computer System Security Award:
- scientific or technological breakthroughs that resolve long-standing problems or radically advance the state of the art;
- outstanding leadership that results in dramatic improvement to the computer security community;
- highly distinguished authorship that affects the primary principles of computer security, opens new fields of inquiry or redefines major issues; or
- significant long-term contributions to computer security solutions through: research, edification, or implementation.
Previous winners of the Computer System Security Award include leaders
in the field including MIT encryption expert and RSA Security co-founder
Ron Rivest, Purdue University computer sciences professor Gene Spafford
and Georgetown University information warfare and security expert
Dorothy Denning.
As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s
Technology Administration, NIST develops and promotes measurements,
standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and
improve the quality of life. Under the Computer Security Act of 1987,
NIST also develops standards and guidelines for the protection of
sensitive federal computer systems.