RSA Conference

    • RSA Conference USA 2008
    • RSA Conference Japan 2007 (upcoming)
    • RSA Conference Europe 2008

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    RSA Conference Awards

    Established in 1998, the RSA Conference Awards are presented to acknowledge the outstanding contributions of individuals and organizations in the field of cryptography, public policy and information security.

    Congratulations to the Winners of the RSA® Conference 2008 Awards


    Excellence in the Field of Mathematics

    The RSA Conference Award for Mathematics recognizes innovation and ongoing contribution to the field of cryptography.

    Arjen Lenstra
    Professor, Laboratory for Cryptologic Algorithms, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

    Arjen LenstraProfessor Arjen Lenstra has made fundamental contributions to the design of integer factoring techniques, most notably the General Number Field Sieve (GNFS) – the most efficient classical algorithm known for factoring integers larger than 100 digits. He has been equally involved in the application of these tools, and a participant in a number of landmark factorizations of RSA moduli, such as RSA-155 (a 512-bit public key). Lenstra’s work has been essential to the computer security industry’s understanding of the strength of cryptographic systems, and instrumental in the selection and standardization of strong RSA key sizes.

    Excellence in the Field of Security Practices

    The RSA Conference Award for Excellence in the Field of Security Practices recognizes outstanding achievement in the practice of security within an organization.

    Philip Venables
    Managing Director and Chief Information Risk Officer, Goldman Sachs & Co., USA

    Philip VenablesAt Goldman Sachs & Co., Philip Venables has simultaneously spearheaded several major security initiatives. One of his most significant endeavors has been to focus on protecting the information assets themselves. In today’s extended enterprises, security practitioners cannot rely on traditional perimeters anymore and must find new approaches to protecting data as it travels beyond the network firewalls. Through Venables’ pioneering efforts, Goldman Sachs has built a cutting-edge security infrastructure that is considered a competitive advantage. In addition, he is one of the first to successfully implement Enterprise Rights Management (ERM) as a core component of an information protection strategy. By having the security travel with the data itself, Goldman Sachs can better control access to critical documents within their global and mobile business environment.

    Excellence in the Field of Public Policy

    The RSA Conference Award for Public Policy is designed to recognize significant contribution and leadership in the field of cyber security public policy.

    Congressman Jim Langevin
    Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District

    Jim LangevinCongressman Langevin is the chairman of the House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology. No congressional subcommittee was more active on cybersecurity in 2007 than Langevin’s – he held more hearings on the issue than any other member of congress in a single year. In addition, his Subcommittee’s work has helped to educate fellow members of Congress and the general public about emerging information security threats to government systems and our country’s critical infrastructure. With his strong commitment to raising the bar of our nation’s information security posture, Congressman Langevin has worked in a bi-partisan way to spur the U.S. government to devote more time to understanding information security risks and developing more effective strategies to mitigate them.

    RSA Conference Lifetime Achievement Award

    Thomas E. Noonan

    Tom NoonanThomas Noonan recently retired as general manager of IBM Internet Security Systems, and he is also the former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Internet Security Systems (ISS), which was acquired by IBM in 2006. Under Noonan’s leadership, ISS’ revenue soared from startup-status to nearly $330 million in its first decade, as he helped to pioneer intrusion detection technologies and made substantial contributions to the growth of the information security industry. A sought-after industry luminary, educator and spokesperson on information security, President Bush appointed Noonan in 2002 to serve on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). Noonan’s management style and vision have been widely recognized by the likes of BusinessWeek, Forbes and Fortune, and in 1999 Ernst & Young named him “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

    Past RSA® Conference Award Winners

    RSA® Conference 2007 Awards

    • Jacques Stern, Professeur d'informatique, Directeur du Département d'Informatique, École Normale Supérieure, for Field of Mathematics
    • Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, for Public Policy
    • State Senator Joe Simitian, California State Senate, for Public Policy
    • Jeffrey Bardin, CISSP, CISM, CHS, and NSA IAM, for Security Practices


    RSA® Conference 2006 Awards

    • Oded Goldreich, Professor of Computer Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, for Field of Mathematics
    • Ari Schwartz, Deputy Director, Center for Democracy & Technology, for Public Policy
    • Jack Jones, ISSP, CISM, CISA, Chief Information Security Officer, CBCInnovis, for Security Practices


    RSA® Conference 2005 Awards

    • Dan Boneh, Associate Professor, Stanford University, for Field of Mathematics
    • Orson Swindle, Federal Trade Commission, for Public Policy
    • Michael Assante, American Electric Power, for Best Security Practices


    RSA® Conference 2004 Awards

    • Professor Silvio Micali, M.I.T., for Field of Mathematics
    • U.S. Senator Robert Bennett, for Public Policy
    • Eric Guerrino, Bank of New York, for Best Security Practices
    • Jim Bidzos, retiring RSA Conference chairman: special RSA Conference Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing him for his contributions to the information security industry and the RSA Conference


    RSA® Conference 2003 Awards

    • Dr. Mihir Bellare and Dr. Phillip Rogaway, noted cryptographers and researchers, for Field of Mathematics
    • U.S. Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, for Public Policy
    • Herman Miller Inc., for Best Security Practices
    • Microsoft Corporation, for Industry Innovation


    RSA® Conference 2002 Awards

    • Dr. Don Coppersmith, noted cryptographer and IBM researcher, for Field of Mathematics
    • U.S. Congressman Tom Davis, for Public Policy
    • Symantec Corp., for Industry


    RSA® Conference 2001 Awards

    • Dr. Scott Vanstone, noted cryptographer and founder of Certicom Corporation, for Field of Mathematics
    • The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Advanced Encryption Standard Committee, for Public Policy
    • Gemplus, for Industry


    RSA® Conference 2000 Awards

    • Ralph Merkle, noted mathematician and cryptographer, for Field of Mathematics
    • Ed Gillespie and Jack Quinn, Executive Director and Co-Chairman of Americans for Computer Privacy, for Public Policy
    • Check Point Software Technologies, for Industry


    RSA® Conference 1999 Awards

    • John M. Pollard, noted mathematician, for Field of Mathematics
    • John Gilmore, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, for Public Policy
    • Compaq Computer's Atalla Division, for Industry


    RSA® Conference 1998 Awards

    • Shafrira Goldwasser, M.I.T. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, for Field of Mathematics
    • Congressman Bob Goodlatte, for Public Policy
    • Netscape Communications, for Industry