Milestone-Nomination:Invention of Public-key Cryptography

The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Docket Number: 2008-15

Proposal Link: https://ethw.org/Milestone-Proposal:Invention_of_Public-key_Cryptography

Proposed citation in English

Secure communication was believed impossible without exchange of a secret key, with key distribution a major impediment. James Ellis was first to prove that a symmetric secret-key system is unnecessary, and Cliford Cocks and Martin Williamson were first to show how such 'public-key cryptography' could be achieved. By 1975 GCHQ had developed the essential principles but research kept secret until 1997.

Historic significance of this work: its importance to the evolution of electrical and computer engineering and science and its importance to regional/national/international development.

Answer on a separate sheet, with references and full citations, and include supporting material in an electronic format (GIF, JPEG, PNG, PDF, DOC) which can be made available on the IEEE History Center’s Web site to historians, scholars, students, and interested members of the public. All supporting materials must be in English, or if not in English, accompanied by an English translation. If you are including images or photographs as part of the supporting material, it is necessary that you list the copyright owner.

What features or characteristics set this work apart from similar achievements?

The research was carried out in complete secrecy at GCHQ and could not be revealed until it was decided that no further benefit to national security could be achieved by not revealing it. Like the cryptanalysis done during World War 2 at Bletchley Park (now an IEEE Historical Milestone site), the significance of the work was available for public assessment only long after the research was actually carried out.

Please attach a letter in English, or with English translation, from the site owner giving permission to place IEEE milestone plaque on the property.

The letter is necessary in order to process your nomination form. Click the Attachments tab to upload your letter.