Cryptographer Paul Kocher: Big challenges ahead for industry
Paul Kocher, a world-renowned cryptographer, is looking for a few good men.
Actually, make that a hundred good men - and women - with expertise in computer security.
As the founder, president and chief scientist of Cryptography Research Inc., a 30-person R&D firm that licenses its security technology for billions of products, Kocher sees no shortage of work. It’s finding new hires to handle the load that worries him.
Kocher’s situation speaks to the demand for security solutions in an increasingly complex digital world, as well as the heightened competition for top tech talent, as companies like Google bulk up.
With computer attacks in the news and the big RSA security conference at Moscone Center starting Monday, The Chronicle recently spoke with Kocher, 37, about the state of hiring, hacking and cyber war at his San Francisco offices.