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Loren ipsum (talk | contribs) Removed link to alumni association, which in no way supports the claim that Gibson is not being truthful about his attendance at UCB. (Note that the alumni association site does not in fact provide a link to an alumni directory.) |
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{{short description|Computer enthusiast, software engineer and security researcher}}
{{other people|Steve Gibson}}
{{
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Steve Gibson
| image = SteveG.jpg
| caption =
| nickname = "Steve Tiberius Gibson"<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-700.htm |title=Security Now! Transcript of Episode #700 |website=www.grc.com |access-date=2019-02-12}}</ref>
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|3|26}}<ref name="twit">{{cite web |url=http://twit.tv/show/security-now/500 |title=Security Now 500
| birth_place = [[Dayton, Ohio]], U.S.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-076.txt |title=Security Now! #76, January 25, 2007, Listener Feedback Q&A #15 |access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref>
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| known_for = ''[[Security Now|Security Now!]]'' podcast on [[TWiT.tv (network)|TWiT.tv]]
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}}
'''Steven
==
Gibson started working on computers as a teenager, and got his first computing job with [[Stanford University]]'s [[artificial intelligence]] lab when he was 15 years old.<ref name=MillarGuardian/> He
==Career==
Gibson was hired as a programmer for [[California Pacific Computer Company]] in 1980, where he worked on copy protection for the company's products.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Knudsen |first=Richard |title=Exec California Pacific: Innovative Marketing Budges |url=http://www.softalkapple.com/sites/default/files/Softalk_V1.05_draft.pdf |journal=Softalk Magazine |date=January 1981 |volume=1 |number=5 |page=34}}</ref> He then founded Gibson Laboratories in [[Laguna Hills, California]], in 1981, which developed a [[light pen]] for the [[Apple II]], Atari, and other platforms before going out of business in 1983.<ref name=GibsonResume>{{cite web |first=Steve |last=Gibson |url=https://www.grc.com/resume.htm |title=Steve's Resumé |work=GRC.com |access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ei4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA61 |title=Hardware: Light Pen Technology looks to the Micro |last=Mace |first=Scott |date=December 26, 1983 |page=61 |work=InfoWorld |access-date=January 27, 2015 |quote=The Gibson Light Pen has been developed for Atari home computers.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=InfoWorld Aug 9, 1982 / P13-17|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NDAEAAAAMBAJ&q=david+needle+lps+II&pg=PA13|website=books.google.com|date = August 9, 1982|publisher=Popular Computing Inc|access-date=February 24, 2016}}</ref>
In
In 2005,
▲From 1986 to 1993 Gibson wrote the "Tech Talk" column for ''[[InfoWorld]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ToEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA102 |title=SpinRite upgrade |date=October 11, 1993 |work=InfoWorld |quote=...Steve Gibson, whose Tech Talk column has run in InfoWorld for close to eight years...}}</ref>
In 2006, Gibson raised the possibility that the [[Windows Metafile vulnerability]] bug was actually a [[Backdoor (computing)|backdoor]] intentionally engineered into the system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-022.htm |title=Security Now! Episode Archive |work=GRC.com |publisher=Gibson Research Corporation |access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref>
In 2013, he proposed [[SQRL]] as a way to simplify the process of authentication without the risk of revelation of information about the transaction to a third party.<ref>{{cite web |work=GRC.com |url= https://www.grc.com/sqrl/demo.htm |title=Secure Quick Reliable Login |first=Steve |last=Gibson |date=October 2013}}</ref>
▲In 2001, Gibson predicted that Microsoft's implementation of the [[raw socket|SOCK_RAW]] protocol in the initial release of [[Windows XP]] would lead to widespread chaos by making it easier for Windows XP users to create [[denial of service]] (DoS) attacks.<ref>{{cite news |first=Deborah |last=Radcliff |work=Computerworld |date=October 22, 2001 |url=http://www.computerworld.com/article/2585406/operating-systems/windows-xp--is-it-safe-.html |title=Windows XP: Is it safe?}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |type=video |url=http://www.vpwsys.net/download/grc_low.wma | title=Raw Sockets Debate: Steve Gibson with Tom C. Greene |year=2001 |work=Online Tonight with David Lawrence |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/stevegibsoninterviewrawsocketsgrc |archive-date=May 7, 2014 |url-status=live |access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Seth |last=Fogie |work=InformIT |date=June 21, 2002 |url=http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=27289 |title=Raw Sockets Revisited: What Happened to the End of the Internet?}}</ref> In that year, his company's website was brought down by a DoS attack;<ref name=MillarGuardian /> the attacks continued for two weeks. Gibson blogged about the attacks and his (ultimately successful) efforts to track down the hacker.<ref name=MillarGuardian>{{cite news |first=Stuart |last=Millar |work=The Guardian |date=June 5, 2001 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2001/jun/05/hacking.security |title=Teenage hackers}}</ref> Three years after the Windows XP release, Microsoft limited raw socket support in [[Windows XP#Service Pack 2|Service Pack 2]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Ian |last=Griffiths |work=IanG on Tap |date=August 12, 2004 |url=http://www.interact-sw.co.uk/iangblog/2004/08/12/norawsockets |title=Raw Sockets Gone in XP SP2}}</ref>
▲In 2005 Gibson launched a weekly [[podcast]] called "[[Security Now]]" with [[Leo Laporte]] on [[TWiT.tv]], with its archives hosted on GRC's website.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grc.com/sn/past/2005.htm |title=Security Now! Episode Archive |work=GRC.com |publisher=Gibson Research Corporation |access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Andy |last=Bowers |work=Slate |date=December 9, 2005 |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/podcasts/2005/12/slates_podcast_roundup.html |title=Slate's Podcast Roundup}}</ref>
▲In 2006 Gibson raised the possibility that the [[Windows Metafile vulnerability]] bug was actually a [[Backdoor (computing)|backdoor]] intentionally engineered into the system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-022.htm |title=Security Now! Episode Archive |work=GRC.com |publisher=Gibson Research Corporation |access-date=December 12, 2017}}</ref> A response by Microsoft<ref>{{cite news|last=Toulouse|first=Stephen|date=January 13, 2006|title=Looking at the WMF issue, how did it get there?|work=Microsoft Security Response Center|url=http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2006/01/13/417431.aspx|url-status=dead|access-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060116042756/http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2006/01/13/417431.aspx|archive-date=January 16, 2006}}</ref> and by [[Mark Russinovich]] on Microsoft's ''Technet'' blog<ref>{{cite news|last=Helweg|first=Otto|date=January 18, 2006|title=Inside the WMF Backdoor|work=Mark Russinovich's Blog|url=http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2006/01/18/inside-the-wmf-backdoor.aspx|access-date=October 29, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218003852/http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2006/01/18/inside-the-wmf-backdoor.aspx|archive-date=December 18, 2006}}</ref> stated that the bug appeared to be coding error and that Gibson's reasoning was based upon Microsoft's abort procedure documentation being misleading.
===GRC products===
GRC has created a number of [[utility software|utilities]], most of which are [[freeware]].<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Luo |url=http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/fileadmin/cp_archive/pdf/0303/0303_Psyberpsy.pdf |title=Open-source and general public license programs cost little or nothing. Are they right for your practice? |work=Current Psychiatry |date=March 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Daniel S. |last=Coolidge |work=GPSolo Magazine |date=January–February 2006 |url=http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/gp_solo_magazine_home/gp_solo_magazine_index/cybervermin.html |title=Cyber-Vermin: Dealing with Dangerous Fauna Infesting the Internet}}</ref>
* [https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm DNS Benchmark], freeware that lets users test the performance of the ___domain name servers used by their internet service providers.<ref>{{cite
* [https://www.grc.com/securable.htm Securable], freeware to test whether a pre-[[Windows 7]] computer is 64-bit compatible. It also tells the user
* [[
* [[SpinRite]], a [[hard disk]] scanning and [[data recovery]] utility first released in 1988.<ref name="pcmag1">{{cite news |title=First Looks |first1=Edward |last1=Mendelson
* Spoofarino, freeware released in 2006 and promised since the controversy over the launch of Windows
* [https://www.grc.com/never10.htm Never10], standalone freeware program that toggles registry values in Windows
* [ * [https://www.grc.com/inspectre.htm InSpectre], a utility that examines a computer's vulnerability to the [[Meltdown (security vulnerability)|Meltdown]] and [[Spectre (security vulnerability)|Spectre]] attacks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/inspectre-lets-you-quickly-check-if-your-pc-vulnerable-meltdown-and-spectre |title=InSpectre will quickly check if your PC is vulnerable to Meltdown and Spectre |last=Thorp-Lancaster |first=Dan |date=January 17, 2017 |work=Windows Central |publisher=Mobile Nations |access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
* [https://www.grc.com/initdisk.htm InitDisk], a tool that was developed for GRC's
* [https://www.grc.com/readspeed.htm ReadSpeed], an accurate benchmark for PC
*
* [https://www.grc.com/otg/uheprng.htm Ultra-High Entropy PRNG] ([[Pseudorandom number generator|Pseudo-Random Number Generator]]) which are critical to any and all computerized operation.{{promotion-inline|date=December 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRC's UHE PRNG |url=https://www.grc.com/otg/uheprng.htm |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.grc.com}}</ref>
* [https://www.grc.com/sqrl/sqrl.htm SQRL Login Technology] (Simple Quick Reliable Login, pronounced “squirrel”) is an open, free, intellectual property unencumbered, complete and practical system to cryptographically authenticate the identity of individuals across a network (..) it can replace '''all''' other systems while offering dramatic improvements in usability and security.{{promotion-inline|date=December 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRC's Secure Quick Reliable Login |url=https://www.grc.com/sqrl/sqrl.htm |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.grc.com}}</ref>
==Works==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last1 = Gibson | first1 = Steve | author-mask1 = 1 | date = 1991 | title = A Passion for Technology, 1986 - 1990 Cumulative Index and 1986 | ___location = Aliso Viejo, California | publisher = Gibson Research Corporation | isbn = 978-1880814864 | ol = OL28048112M | oclc = 1245623144
*{{cite book | last1 = Gibson | first1 = Steve | author-mask1 = 1 | date = 1991 | title = A Passion for Technology 1987 | ___location = Aliso Viejo, California | publisher = Gibson Research Corporation | volume =
*{{cite book | last1 = Gibson | first1 = Steve | author-mask1 = 1 | date = 1991 | title = A Passion for Technology 1988 | url = https://archive.org/details/passionfortechno0000gibs | access-date = 2022-01-01 | ___location = Aliso Viejo, California | publisher = Gibson Research Corporation | volume =
| oclc = 1245623144 | ol = OL27971346M | via = [[Internet Archive]] | df = dmy-all}}
*{{cite book | last1 = Gibson | first1 = Steve | author-mask1 = 1 | date = 1991 | title = A Passion for Technology 1989 | ___location = Aliso Viejo, California | publisher = Gibson Research Corporation | volume =
*{{cite book | last1 = Gibson | first1 = Steve | author-mask1 = 1 | date = 1991 |title = A Passion for Technology 1990 | ___location = Aliso Viejo, California | publisher = Gibson Research Corporation | volume =
{{refend}}
==References==
{{Reflist
==External links==
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*http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102674112
{{TWiT podcasts}}▼
{{Authority control}}
▲{{TWiT podcasts}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Steve}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American computer programmers]]
[[Category:Computer security specialists]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Dayton, Ohio]]
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