Oral history interview with Robert E. Johnston

Abstract

This interview with computer security pioneer Robert Johnston stands out for its documentation of early efforts to implement computer security systems and policies within corporations. Specifically it details his leadership with computer security in the insurance industry (at Travelers, The Hartford, and Phoenix Mutual) in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as his role as workshops chair for the Computer Security Institute, an important, independent, user-focused organization for inter-firm sharing of information and knowledge on computer security. He also discusses a secure facility (unprecedented within industry) he designed and oversaw that was used in discovery with the IBM-Fujitsu legal battle, and professionalization issues in the computer security field.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1116862, “Building an Infrastructure for Computer Security History.”