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Ross J. Anderson is a researcher, writer, and industry consultant in security engineering. He is a professor in security engineering at Cambridge University where he leads the computer security group. In cryptography, he, together with Eli Biham, designed the BEAR, LION and Tiger cryptographic primitives, the block cipher Serpent (with Biham and Lars Knudsen), and the stream cipher Pike. He has also discovered weaknesses in many algorithms (FISH) and security systems.

In 1978, Anderson graduated in mathematics and natural science, and subsequently received a qualification in computer engineering. He has experience working with a diverse selection of systems, including avionics, banking, burglar alarms and vehicle monitoring systems. In 1992 he moved to the University of Cambridge, where he received his doctorate.

In 1998, Anderson founded the Foundation for Information Policy Research, a leading think tank and lobbying group on internet governance and business issues.

Anderson is also a founder of the economics of security research domain.

In January 2004, Anderson was declared Cambridge University's "most powerful person" by the student newspaper Varsity.

Anderson has also more recently championed the Campaign for Cambridge Freedoms, which is critical of Cambridge University's proposed intellectual property policies.

He is an outspoken critic of trusted computing, including Microsoft's proposals for the Palladium operating system.

Anderson is the author of Security Engineering, published by Wiley in 2001, ISBN 0-471-38922-6. [1] He was the founder and editor of Computer and Communications Security Reviews.

Anderson is one of the founders of the UK-Crypto email discussion list, established for the purpose of discussing not cryptography per se, but public policy in relation to cryptography and cryptology within the scope of the UK. The list includes senior civil servants from the Home Office, lawyers, ISP managers and Microsoft's security adviser who was recruited from it. It is assumed that if this list does not actually change UK policies such as the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, then at least government is not ignorant of the consequences.

• Cryptosystem
• Computer insecurity
• Computer security
• Physical security
• Secure computing
• Security engineering
• Steganographic file system
• University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory

• Anderson's home page
• Anderson's FAQ about Trusted Computing
• Publications
• Why Information Security is Hard - An Economic Perspective