Horst Feistel | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1915-01-30)January 30, 1915 |
| Died | November 14, 1990(1990-11-14) (aged 75) |
| Alma mater | MIT Harvard University |
| Known for | Feistel cipher |
Horst Feistel (January 30, 1915[1] – November 14, 1990) was a German-Americancryptographer who worked on the design ofciphers atIBM, initiating research that culminated in the development of theData Encryption Standard (DES) in the 1970s. The structure used in DES, called aFeistel network, is commonly used in manyblock ciphers.[2][3][4]
Feistel was born inBerlin,Germany in 1915, and moved to theUnited States in 1934. DuringWorld War II, he was placed under house arrest, but gained US citizenship on 31 January 1944. The following day he was granted a security clearance and began work for the USAir Force Cambridge Research Center (AFCRC) onIdentification Friend or Foe (IFF) devices until the 1950s. He was subsequently employed atMIT'sLincoln Laboratory, then theMITRE corporation. In 1968, Feistel became a Research Staff Member at theIBMT.J Watson Center.[5] During his time there he received an award for his cryptographic work. In 1971, he patented theblock ciphercryptographic system at IBM.[5] His research atIBM led to the development of theLucifer andData Encryption Standard (DES) ciphers. Feistel was one of the earliest non-government researchers to study the design and theory ofblock ciphers.
Feistel lent his name to theFeistel network construction, a common method for constructing block ciphers (for example DES).
Feistel obtained abachelor's degree atMIT, and hismaster's atHarvard, both inphysics. He married Leona (Gage) in 1945, with whom he had a daughter, Peggy.