Dan Kaminsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Kaminsky
|
|
|---|---|
Kaminsky in 2007
|
|
| Born |
Daniel Kaminsky
February 7, 1979 San Francisco, California, U.S.
|
| Died | April 23, 2021 (aged 42) San Francisco, California, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Santa Clara University |
| Occupation | Computer security researcher |
| Known for | Discovering the 2008 DNS cache poisoning vulnerability |
Daniel Kaminsky (February 7, 1979 – April 23, 2021) was an American computer security expert. He helped create and was the chief scientist at Human Security, a company focused on computer safety. Before that, he worked at big companies like Cisco and Avaya. The New York Times called him an "Internet security savior" because of his important work.
Kaminsky was well-known for finding a major problem with the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS). He also showed how many computers were affected by the Sony Rootkit. In 2010, he was chosen by ICANN as one of the trusted people for DNSSEC, which helps make the Internet more secure.
Contents
Early Life
Daniel Kaminsky was born in San Francisco on February 7, 1979. His mom said he taught himself computer coding by age five. This was after his dad bought him a computer when he was four.
When he was 11, a government security person called his mom. Daniel had found ways to get into military computers. They wanted to cut off their Internet. His mom said she would tell everyone if they did. So, they agreed to a short Internet "timeout" for Daniel instead. Years later, the same person thanked Daniel for fixing a big Internet problem.
Daniel went to St. Ignatius College Preparatory and Santa Clara University. After college, he worked for several companies. Later, he started his own company, White Ops, which is now called Human Security.
Career Highlights
Stopping the Sony Rootkit
In 2005, a big problem called the Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal happened. Sony was secretly putting software on people's computers. This software was meant to stop copying music. But it also made computers less safe.
Dan Kaminsky used his skills to find out how many computers had this hidden software. He estimated that over 568,000 networks were affected. His research helped show how serious the problem was. This made Sony take the issue more seriously.
Fixing a DNS Flaw
In 2008, Kaminsky found a major weakness in the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS is like the Internet's phone book. It translates website names (like example.com) into computer addresses. This flaw could let attackers trick computers into going to fake websites. This is called cache poisoning.
Kaminsky realized this problem could allow many types of attacks. For example, hackers could pretend to be your bank's website. He quickly told important groups like the Department of Homeland Security and companies like Microsoft. They all worked together secretly to create a fix.
On July 8, 2008, the fix was released. Kaminsky waited to share the details of the attack. He wanted to give everyone time to update their systems. He later explained his findings at a big security conference called Black Hat Briefings.
Some people wondered why he didn't use the flaw for money. Kaminsky said it would be wrong. He wanted to make the Internet safer for everyone. The fix he helped create made it much harder for hackers to use this weakness.
Detecting Conficker
In 2009, Kaminsky found a way to spot computers infected with Conficker. This was a harmful computer worm. His discovery helped create tools that could find and stop the worm. This made it easier for people to protect their computers.
Improving Internet Security Certificates
In 2009, Kaminsky and other experts found problems with how secure internet connections work. These connections use something called SSL or X.509 certificates. They found weaknesses that could let attackers create fake certificates. This could trick people into thinking a fake website was real. Their work helped improve how these important security certificates are handled.
Personal Life and Legacy
Dan Kaminsky was known for being very kind and helpful. He often paid for hotels or travel for other people going to security conferences. He even helped a friend with a plane ticket, and that friend later became his wife.
He also used his skills to help people he cared about. He made an app for people with color blindness. He worked on hearing aid technology. He also helped create tools for doctors to treat people with AIDS in faraway places. His mother said he did these things because they were right, not for money.
Kaminsky also strongly believed in privacy rights. He thought the Internet should be more secure for everyone. He once said, "The Internet was never designed to be secure. The Internet was designed to move pictures of cats." He believed it was his job to help fix that.
Dan Kaminsky passed away on April 23, 2021, from a health issue. Many people in the technology world honored him. The Electronic Frontier Foundation called him a "friend of freedom." He was later inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in December 2021.
Images for kids
-
Kaminsky in 2014
-
Kaminsky in 2012, wearing a T-shirt that says "I ♥ Color". He made an app to help people with color blindness.
.jpg)
