| Type | Private subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Key people | Paul Kocher, President and Chief Scientist |
| Products | Technology licensing, secure semiconductors |
| Revenue | $10M-$100M |
| Employees | 25-100 |
| Parent | Rambus |
| Website | www.cryptography.com |
Cryptography Research, Inc.. is a San Francisco based cryptography company specializing in applied cryptographic engineering, including technologies for building tamper-resistant semiconductors. It was purchased on June 6, 2011 by Rambus for more than $250M in cash and stock.[1] The company licenses patents for protecting cryptographic devices against power analysis attacks.[2] The company's CryptoFirewall-brand ASIC cores are used in pay TV conditional access systems and anti-counterfeiting applications.[3] CRI also developed BD+, a security component in the Blu-ray disc format, and played a role in the format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray.[4][5] The company's services group assists with security testing, disaster recovery, and training.
Cryptography Research protects its core operations from outside attack by maintaining a secured local network that is not connected to the Internet at all. Employees who need to work with sensitive data have two computers on their desks — one to access the secure network, and a separate computer to access the Internet.[6]
In 2009, Frost & Sullivan awarded the company the World Smart Card Technology Leadership of the Year Award, noting that the company is "one of the highest-volume and highest-value technology licensors in the semiconductor industry" and that "more than 4 billion security chips are produced under its licenses every year".[7]