Dorothy E. Denning facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothy Denning
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|---|---|
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| Born |
Dorothy Elizabeth Robling
August 12, 1945 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
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| Known for |
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| Spouse(s) |
Peter J. Denning
(m. 1974) |
| Awards | ACM Fellow (1995) National Cyber Security Hall of Fame (2012) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computers Information security |
| Institutions |
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| Thesis | Secure Information Flow in Computer Systems (1975) |
| Doctoral advisor | Herbert Schwetman |
Dorothy Elizabeth Denning (born August 12, 1945) is a famous American computer scientist. She is known for her important work in information security. This field helps protect computers and data from harm. Dorothy Denning helped create new ways to keep information safe online. She developed lattice-based access control (LBAC) and intrusion detection systems (IDS). These are big ideas that make computers more secure. She has written many books and articles about her work. In 2012, she joined the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame. Today, she is a retired professor at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Dorothy Denning grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She loved learning about math. She earned her first degree in mathematics in 1967. Then, she got her master's degree in 1969. Both degrees were from the University of Michigan.
Later, she studied at Purdue University. In 1975, she earned her PhD. Her special project was about keeping information safe in computer systems.
Career and Research
Dorothy Denning started her teaching career at Purdue University in 1975. She taught there for many years. In 1982, she wrote her first book. It was called Cryptography and Data Security. This book helped many people learn about keeping data secret.
From 1983 to 1987, she worked at SRI International. Here, she helped create the very first intrusion detection system. This system helps find out when someone tries to break into a computer. She also worked on making databases more secure.
After working at Digital Equipment Corporation, she became a professor at Georgetown University. She led the Computer Science Department there. Later, she became a special professor and director of a center for information security.
In 2002, Dorothy Denning joined the Naval Postgraduate School. She became a distinguished professor in 2009. She retired from teaching at the end of 2016.
Throughout her career, Dorothy Denning focused on computer security. She always looked ahead to new problems. She was the first president of a group called the International Association for Cryptologic Research. In 1997, she helped edit a book about cyber security. It was called Internet Besieged. In 1998, she wrote another book, Information Warfare and Security. She also spoke to government groups many times. She shared her ideas on how to protect computers and data.
Important Innovations
Dorothy Denning has received over 20 awards. These awards are for her amazing ideas in computer security. Here are some of her most important contributions:
Controlling Access to Data
In 1976, she presented a new idea called "A Lattice Model of Secure Information Flow." This model helps control who can see or use certain information. It is still used today to keep data safe.
Detecting Intruders
Finding people who try to break into computer systems is very important. While at SRI International, Dorothy Denning worked with Peter G. Neumann. They created a system to detect intruders. This system used statistics to find unusual activity. It is still the basis for many intrusion detection systems today.
Their system, called IDES, ran on special computers. It looked at what users were doing. It also checked network data. IDES could find known types of attacks. It could also spot new, unusual patterns.
Improving Data Security with Encryption
Dorothy Denning also made encryption better. Encryption is like putting data in a secret code. She added timestamps to secret key systems. She also found ways to make digital signatures more secure. Her book Cryptography and Data Security taught many people about these important ideas.
Database Security
She also found ways to make databases more secure. Databases store lots of information. She helped solve problems when working with data that has different security levels.
Geo-Encryption
With a colleague named L. Scott, Dorothy Denning explored using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for security. This idea, called geo-encryption, helps protect data based on its location.
Legal and Ethical Issues
Even though she was a technical expert, Dorothy Denning also thought about other issues. She looked at the legal, ethical, and social sides of technology. She talked about topics like wiretapping and cyber terrorism. Her later work focused on new cyber threats and how to defend against them.
Awards and Honors
Dorothy Denning has received many awards for her work:
- In 1995, she was named an ACM Fellow. This is a high honor from the Association for Computing Machinery.
- In 1999, she won the National Computer Systems Security Award. This was for her "outstanding contributions" to computer security.
- Time magazine called her a security innovator in 2001.
- The Augusta Ada Lovelace Award recognized her in 2001. This award honored her work in computer security and cryptography. It also noted her help in national discussions about cyber terrorism.
- In 2004, she received the Harold F. Tipton Award. This award was for her "sustained excellence" in information security.
- In 2008, a special group at ACM gave her their Outstanding Innovator Award.
- She was also named a fellow by the International Information Security Certification Consortium.
- In 2010, she became a distinguished fellow of the Information Systems Security Association.
- In 2012, she was one of the first people to join the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame.
The New Jersey City University named a new security center after her. It is called the Dr. Dorothy E. Denning Center.
Personal Life
Dorothy Denning married Peter J. Denning in 1974. They were both studying computer science at Purdue University.
Books
- Cryptography and Data Security (1982)
- Internet Besieged: Countering Cyberspace Scofflaws (edited with Peter J. Denning, 1997)
- Information Warfare and Security (1998)
