Information Security
MISTY Mystery Tour
 
Encryption Technology
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The researcher who opened the door on a new age
From innovation to product - theory teams up with technology
A global standard - the key to new market creation
From innovation to product - theory teams up with technology

The name MISTY was taken from the initials of the project team members.Having succeeded in breaking DES, Matsui went on to further develop his own theory. This led to the concept of “verifiable security”. We stand at the dawn of a network society: Encryption will be essential in all aspects of our lives, whether at work or at home. And, as with other products, cryptosystems will have the freedom to be chosen by commercial users. Similar to selecting processing power of a computer at a store, cryptosystems will be categorized and displayed to demonstrate their own strength. No such encryption method yet exists? Well, then we should make one.

The Internet was then still taking form and Mitsubishi Electric was working on an information security system for one of its clients. In 1995, the research arm of the company was reorganized and both Matsui and Yamagishi were assigned to the new Information Security System Development Center. There, the newly appointed director made it clear that their mission was none other than to launch an information security business.

When Matsui proposed that they develop an encryption algorithm featuring verifiable security, Yamagishi wasted no time in deciding a course of action: they would make it the core of their new business. An individual’s private research had finally grown into a full-fledged corporate project.

A cryptosystem intended for the security infrastructure of a network society must be easy to use in many different environments and scenarios. To ensure this, several talented technicians were brought onto the team. It was the job of an LSI designer named Tetsuya Ichikawa to focus on hardware implementation. Toru Sorimachi joined Matsui in taking care of the theoretical side of the job, while it was the role of Toshio Tokita to coordinate the entire development project. With this combination of theoreticians and technicians, development began on a new cryptosystem that would combine effective security measures with multi-platform compatibility.

Matsui Mitsuru Ichikawa Tetsuya Sorimachi Toru Tokita Toshio Yamagishi Atsuhiro

Photos courtesy of Nikkei Electronics (Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.).
In 1996, the new encryption algorithm was completed. Its name was taken from the initials of the team members: Matsui (M), who had originally developed the theory behind it; Ichikawa (I), Sorimachi (S) and Tokita (T), who had helped to turn theory into reality; and finally Yamagishi (Y), the boss who had seen how an individual’s research could be transformed into a product capable of becoming the core aspect to their business model. Thus MISTY was born, a cryptosystem offering verifiable security, and bearing the names of the men who had turned theory into technology and innovation into product.


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