[ih] IS: Peter G. Neumann, Who Warned of Computer Security Risks, Dies at 93 (NYT Obit)

[Vint Cerf]

I knew and worked with Peter off and on since the late 1960s since SRI had
a critical role in the Arpanet and subsequent Internet development. Peter
was perceptive and articulate about the risks we still face as we attempt
to use computing technology to enhance our ability to think and do. His
contributions will be enduring. He was a kind and empathetic person, at
least insofar as my interactions with him go. But he was also emphatic in
his concern for thoughtful uses of technology and had little patience for
people who did not understand this mindset. I will miss him but I am
grateful for having known him.

vint


On Sun, May 17, 2026 at 6:52 PM william yeager via Internet-history <
internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:

> > On May 17, 2026, at 3:39 PM, the keyboard of geoff goodfellow via
> Internet-history <internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
> >
> > Dr. Neumann (pronounced NOY-man), who has worked as a computer
> scientistand security researcher at SRI International in Menlo Park,
> Calif., since 1971, has long been a voice in the wilderness warning about a
> computer
> > industry that has been prone to repeatedly make the same mistakes.
>
>
> Sigh. Definitely a really precious gem of a being as well as computer
> scientist. I only live a few blocks away, visited SRI many times in the 70s
> and 80s and, alas, never had the opportunity to meet him.
>
> > “Peter Neumann is both one of the last of the old guard and a pointer to
> > the future,” said Whitfield Diffie, a mathematician and cryptographer who
> > is the co-inventor of public key cryptography. “He describes himself as
> > having had a 70-year career in computer science, starting with his
> > graduation from Harvard, and he has always advocated starting with
> hardware designed to support security.”
>
>
> His legacy is amazing, and I agree with Whit 100%.
>
> Bill
>
>
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