Malcolm Williamson (cryptologist)
Malcolm J. Williamson ( November 2, 1950 - September 15, 2015 ) was a British cryptologist .
Williamson was involved in the development of an asymmetric encryption method in 1974 and 1975 as an employee of the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) . The theoretical preparatory work was done from 1969 onwards by James H. Ellis , also an employee of the GCHQ. The breakthrough came in 1973 with Clifford Cocks .
Since the encryption method was subject to secrecy, the method was invented a second time by American scientists from 1975 to 1977 as the RSA cryptosystem .
Life
Williamson won in 1968 as a student at Manchester Grammar School a gold price with his participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad in Moscow . He studied mathematics at Cambridge and graduated in 1971. After a year at Liverpool University, he worked for the GCHQ until 1982.
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Williamson, Malcolm |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Williamson, Malcolm J. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British cryptographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 2, 1950 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th September 2015 |