View source for Gene Spafford

{{short description|American computer scientist}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2010}}
{{Infobox scientist
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Eugene Howard Spafford
| honorific_suffix = 
| native_name = Spaf
| native_name_lang = 
| image = Gene-spafford.jpg
| alt = Balding white male with grey beard, wearing a black suitcoat, pink shirt, and patterned bow tie, standing with hands clasped.
| caption = Eugene Spafford speaks on computer security at [[Linux]] Forum 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
| birth_name = <!-- if different from "name" -->
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1956}}<!-- When known, add |mm|dd -->
| birth_place = Rochester, NY
| death_date = <!--{{death date and age |20yy|mm|dd |1956|mm|dd}} (death date then birth date)-->
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| resting_place_coordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}-->
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| other_names = Spaf
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| citizenship = [[United States]]
| nationality = 
| fields = [[Computer science]]<br/>[[Computer security]]
| workplaces = [[Purdue University]]
| patrons = 
| education = [[State University of New York Brockport]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Georgia Institute of Technology]] ([[Master of Science|MS]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
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| academic_advisors = 
| doctoral_students = 
| notable_students = [[Dan Farmer]], [[Gene Kim]]
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| awards = See [[#Selected honors and awards|section below]]
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| website = {{URL|spaf.cerias.purdue.edu}}
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}}

'''Eugene Howard Spafford''' (born 1956), known as '''Spaf''', is an American distinguished [[professor]] of [[computer science]] at [[Purdue University]] and a [[computer security]] expert.

Spafford serves as an advisor to U.S. government agencies and corporations. In 1998, he founded and was the first director of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security ([[CERIAS]]) at Purdue University.

== Recent recognition ==
In June 2025, Spafford was appointed a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University, one of the institution's highest academic honors, recognizing his nearly four decades of contributions to cybersecurity research, education, and service.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spafford named Distinguished Professor of Computer Science |url=https://www.cs.purdue.edu/news/articles/2025/spafford-named-distinguished-professor-of-computer-science.html |website=Purdue University Department of Computer Science |date=20 June 2025 |access-date=5 September 2025}}</ref>

Later that month, he presented a retrospective report to the Purdue Board of Trustees on the "38-year evolution of cybersecurity research at Purdue", highlighting the growth of CERIAS into one of the world's leading multidisciplinary centers in information assurance and security.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spafford reports on evolution, growth of Purdue's cybersecurity research |url=https://www.purdue.edu/science/about/news/articles/2025/spafford-reports-on-evolution-growth-of-purdues-cybersecurity-research.html |website=Purdue University |date=21 June 2025 |access-date=5 September 2025}}</ref>

==Biography==
===Education and early career===
Spafford attended the [[The College at Brockport, State University of New York|State University of New York at Brockport]], graduating with a double major in mathematics and computer science in three years. He then attended the School of Information and Computer Sciences (now the College of Computing) at the [[Georgia Institute of Technology]]. He received his [[Master of Science]] (M.S.) in 1981, and [[Doctor of Philosophy]] (Ph.D.) in 1986, for his design and implementation of the [[Kernel (operating system)|kernel]] of the original ''Clouds'' [[distributed operating system]].<ref name="Babbage">{{cite interview |last=Spafford |first=Eugene H. |url=https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/162558 |title=Oral history interview with Eugene H. Spafford |date=2013-11-12 |website=[[Charles Babbage Institute]] |publisher=[[University of Minnesota]] |location=[[Minneapolis]], Minnesota |access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref>

During the formative years of the Internet, Spafford made significant contributions to establishing semi-formal processes to organize and manage [[Usenet]], then the primary channel of communication between users, and to defining the [[backbone cabal|standards of behavior governing its use]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.vrx.net/usenet/history/rename.html |title=Usenet: The Great Renaming [FAQ]: 1985–1988 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021012011241/http://www.vrx.net/usenet/history/rename.html |archive-date=2002-10-12 |quote=Originally organized by Gene Spafford in 1983, the backbone was formalized by Spaf after the Great Renaming. |access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maryannhorton.com/MaryAnnHorton-extended.html |title=Mary Ann Horton, Ph.D.: Professional Profile |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060709160729/http://www.maryannhorton.com/MaryAnnHorton-extended.html |archive-date=2006-07-09 |quote=... 1980-1987 ... Designed Usenet Backbone, recruited and led the "Backbone Cabal" of key Usenet site administrators. |access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref> Spafford initiated the Phage List as a response to the [[Morris Worm]], one of the earliest [[computer worm]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Phage List |url=https://securitydigest.org/phage/ |website=Security Digest |access-date=5 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Spafford's analysis of the Morris worm |url=https://protovision.textfiles.com/100/tr823.txt |access-date=5 October 2022 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204111318/http://protovision.textfiles.com/100/tr823.txt |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Computer science at Purdue===
Spafford has served on the faculty at Purdue University in Indiana since 1987, and is a Distinguished Professor of computer science. He is executive director emeritus of Purdue's ''Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security'' (CERIAS), and founded its predecessor, the ''COAST Laboratory''. He has stated that his research interests have focused on "the prevention, detection, and remediation of information system failures and misuse, with an emphasis on applied [[information security]]. This has included research in fault tolerance, software testing and debugging, intrusion detection, software forensics, and security policies."

Spafford wrote or co-authored four books on computer and computer security, including ''Practical [[Unix]] and Internet Security'' for [[O'Reilly Media]], and over 150 research papers, chapters, and monographs. In 1996, he received the Award of Distinguished Technical Communication from the Society for Technical Communication for ''Practical Unix and Internet Security''. In 2024, his book ''Cybersecurity Myths and Misconceptions'' for [[Addison-Wesley]] was named to the Cybersecurity Canon Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://icdt.osu.edu/cybercanon/bookreviews |title=Cybersecurity Canon website |access-date=2025-06-06}}</ref>

As a PhD advisor, Spafford has advised 27 students to graduation. Among other projects, he designed the [[Open Source Tripwire]] tool coded by his undergraduate student [[Gene Kim]]. Spafford was the chief external technical advisor to the company [[Tripwire (company)|Tripwire]] during their first few years. He was also an advisor to  [[Dan Farmer]] who coded the [[freeware]] Computer Oracle and Password System ([[COPS (software)|COPS]]) tool as a Purdue undergraduate.

In 2009, Spafford discussed on [[C-SPAN]] an article in [[The New York Times]] that looked at how the Internet had been a conduit for many types of ''[[cybercrime]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/284210-7 |title=The Internet and Cyber-Security |date=2009-02-21 |website=[[C-SPAN]] |publisher=National Cable Satellite Corporation |location=Purdue University}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/weekinreview/15markoff.html |title=Do We Need a New Internet? |last=Markoff |first=John |author-link=John Markoff |date=2009-02-14 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Recent work from Spafford has shown how to deceive adversaries and thus make computing systems more secure,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-01-30|title=Deceiving the deceivers: professor employs false fronts, data to fool hackers|url=https://takegiantleaps.com/deceiving-the-deceivers-professor-employs-false-fronts-data-to-fool-hackers/|access-date=2021-06-25|website=Purdue 150th|language=en-US}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> drawing on his multi-disciplinary expertise in information security and psychology.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NSF Award Search: Award # 1548114 - EAGER: Exploring the Use of Deception to Enhance Cyber Security|url=https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1548114&HistoricalAwards=false|access-date=2021-06-25|website=nsf.gov|language=en}}</ref>

Spafford is on the board of directors of the [[Computing Research Association]] and is the former [[chairperson]] of the [[Association for Computing Machinery]]'s (ACM) US Public Policy Committee.<ref name="acmpolicy">{{cite web |title=ACM US Technology Policy Committee |url=https://www.acm.org/public-policy/ustpc |website=www.acm.org |access-date=5 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> He was a member of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee from 2003 to 2005<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.itrd.gov/pitac/ |title=President's Information Technology Advisory Committee – Archive |access-date=2011-10-03 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and an advisor to the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF).

Spaf is a Fellow of the [[Association for Computing Machinery]] (1997), [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] (1999),  [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] (2000), [[ISC2]] (2008), and the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] (2020); he is a Distinguished Fellow of the [[Information Systems Security Association]] (2009).

==Selected honors and awards==
*1996 Awarded charter membership in the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] (IEEE) [[IEEE Computer Society]]'s Golden Core for distinguished service to the Computer Society during its first 50 years
*2000 [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] (NIST) and [[National Computer Security Center]] (NCSC) National Computer Systems Security Award
*2001 Named to the [[Information Systems Security Association]] (ISSA) Hall of Fame
*2003 Awarded [[United States Air Force]] medal for Meritorious Civilian Service
*2007 ACM President's Award<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cs.purdue.edu/news/articles/2007/spafford-acm-award.html |title=Spafford Receives ACM President's Award |date=2007-04-06 |access-date=2015-01-30 |website=Spafford Receives ACM President's Award |publisher=Purdue University |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914173227/https://www.cs.purdue.edu/news/4-6-07spafacmaward.htm |archive-date=2015-09-14}}</ref>
*2009 [[Computing Research Association]] Distinguished Service Award
*2012 Named as a [[Purdue University]] Morrill Award recipient <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.purdue.edu/academics/faculty-affairs/awards/morrill-award-winners.html |title=List of Morrill Award recipients |access-date=2025-06-06}}</ref>
*2013 Elected to the National Cybersecurity Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybersecurityhalloffame.com/   |title=National Cybersecurity Hall of Fame |access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref>
*2013 Received the [[ISC2]] Harold F. Tipton Lifetime Achievement Award<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cerias.purdue.edu/site/news/view/prof._spafford_receives_lifetime_achievement_award/|title=Prof. Spafford Receives Lifetime Achievement Award|access-date=2023-11-30}}</ref>
*2016 Named as a [[Sagamore of the Wabash]]
*2017 Received the [[International Federation for Information Processing]] (IFIP) TC-11 Kristian Beckman Award<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ifiptc11.org/awards/ |title=Kristian Beckman and Yves Deswarte Awards |website=IFIP TC-11 |publisher=International Federation for Information Processing |access-date=2020-04-12}}</ref>
*2020 IEEE Security and Privacy Symposium Test of Time Award
*2022 Honorary Professor of the University of Nottingham.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Honorary appointments - The University of Nottingham |url=https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/computerscience/people/honorary-appointments.aspx |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=www.nottingham.ac.uk}}</ref>
*2025 Named as a Distinguished Professor at [[Purdue University]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cs.purdue.edu/news/articles/2025/spafford-named-distinguished-professor-of-computer-science.html |title=Distinguished Professor Announcement |website=www.cs.purdue.edu |access-date=2025-06-06}}</ref>

==See also==
*The [[Great Renaming]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{MathGenealogy|id=81691}}
*{{Official website|spaf.cerias.purdue.edu}}, at Purdue
*[http://grep.law.harvard.edu/articles/04/04/05/0353235.shtml Greplaw interview]
**[http://pkiforum.com/books/interview_spafford_1a.html Part 1: Gene Spafford on security threats, PKI, interoperability, privacy and wireless security]
**[http://pkiforum.com/books/interview_spafford_2a.html Part 2: Gene Spafford on key management, backup and recovery, digital certificate revocation, identity fraud and security trends]
*[http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/puis3/ ''Practical Unix and Internet Security'']

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spafford, Gene}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Usenet people]]
[[Category:Internet pioneers]]
[[Category:American computer security academics]]
[[Category:1998 fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery]]
[[Category:Fellows of the IEEE]]
[[Category:Georgia Tech alumni]]
[[Category:Purdue University faculty]]