New Directions in Cryptography

Tags: 1970s Diffe-Hellman Key Exchange

Authors: Diffie, Whitfield and Hellman, Martin E.

Published: November 1976

URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1055638/

Abstract: In November 1976, Whitfield Diffie and Martin E. Hellman, of the Stanford University Department of Electrical Engineering, wrote regarding potential solutions to the need for new cryptographic systems which minimize the necessity of secure key distribution channels and supply the equivalent of a written signature. The paper noted that then-contemporary cryptography imposed such severe inconveniences on the system users (namely, the need to transfer keys prior to initially communicating) that it entirely nullified the benefits of teleprocessing and acted as a disincentive for industry adoption. As potential solutions, Diffie and Hellman recommended public key and one-way authentication systems. The paper explored the theoretical efficacy of both solutions and identified a series of “open” problems which required further attention.