Computer‑Security Pioneer Peter Neumann Dies at 93

Peter Neumann, a pioneering computer‑security researcher, died in May at age 93. Born in Manhattan and a Harvard 1952 graduate, he later received a Fulbright fellowship to Germany before joining Bell Laboratories, where he worked on coding‑error correction. In 1971 he moved to Palo Alto and spent five decades at SRI International, rising to senior principal scientist and chief scientist. Neumann helped create a global community of researchers and journalists focused on computing risks, founding a dedicated publication and the ACM Risk Forum. He was among the first programmers to use a personal computer at Harvard (the Mark IV) and emphasized that system complexity poses moral problems because hidden failures can harm users. Colleagues remembered his lifelong passion for computer safety, as well as his love of music, tai chi and family.