Renowned security researcher Dan Kaminsky, known not only for his technical prowess but also for his support of other researchers, has died in age 42 years.
Although Kaminsky became famous in 2008 for identifying a critical design weakness in Internet infrastructure, he had been working behind the scenes in the infosec world for at least two last decades.
Dan did not want to be a celebrity. When he unveiled a DNS poisoning flaw at this year's Black Hat conference, he seemed very uncomfortable with a suit - the first time many saw him wearing one.
Except discovery of DNS poisoning, was a long-time friend of the security research scene, and well-loved. A regular at conferences big and small. You can find a list on YouTube with his presentations in DEF CON.
He spoke and advised anyone. He even paid for conference tickets for some researchers or their stay at a hotel.
Dan Kaminsky has also done an excellent job of troubleshooting SSL and automating the detection of Conficker malware infections. In addition to these high profile discoveries, Kaminsky was loved by many because he had a sense of humor and his collaborations with others were amazing.
His Black Hat, DEF CON, vulnerability talks were held to packed rooms, and many stood up to hear him. He had a seamless ability to discover elegant or interesting ways detectionof code, explain the implications to his audience, and then answer as many questions as he could.
We will definitely see Kaminsky joining Internet Hall of Fame. A praise he deserves.
