The NSA recently released a historically significant lecture given by Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper, a pioneering computer scientist and U.S. Navy officer, in 1982. Rear Adm.
Hopper, who retired in 1986 as the Navy’s oldest commissioned officer on active duty, served over 40 years in the Navy. The lecture, now available on YouTube, covers a range of topics still relevant to today’s cybersecurity landscape. Rear Adm.
Hopper was a prophet in the field of computer science. Her speech, titled “Future Possibilities: Data, Hardware, Software, and People,” touched on several enduring issues. She remarked, “The amount of data and the amount of information will continue to increase, and it’s more than linear.
And the demand for instant access to that information will increase.
Grace Hopper’s 1982 insights
And those two are in conflict.
We’ve got to know something about the value of the information being processed.” This statement resonates with the current exponential growth of data and the ever-increasing need for immediate access. One of the more memorable anecdotes Hopper shared was about the first “computer bug.” In 1945, while building Mark II, a relay problem was traced to a moth stuck inside it. The bug was logged, taped into the record book, and can still be seen at the Naval Surface Weapons Center in Dahlgren, Virginia.
Hopper also highlighted the pressing issue of cybersecurity. “So far, we are doing very, very badly on the score of security,” she stated. She emphasized the need for better protection of both government and industry information, citing increased instances of fraud and theft.
Hopper illustrated her points with stories of security breaches, including one involving Canada Cement and four young hackers. She humorously suggested the FBI recruit these talented juveniles to work on military command systems. For anyone interested in technology and cybersecurity, Hopper’s lecture remains a crucial piece of history.
Watch the full lecture on YouTube to gain more insights from one of the field’s trailblazers.
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