Cryptography Research
| Company type | Subsidiary (2011–2015) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cryptography, Semiconductor technology |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Fate | Acquired by Rambus |
| Successor | Rambus subsidiary |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
| Products | CryptoFirewall ASIC cores, BD+ security technology |
| Parent | Rambus (2011–2015) |
Cryptography Research, Inc. was a company located in San Francisco that focused on practical cryptographic engineering, particularly in the development of tamper-resistant semiconductor technologies. On June 6, 2011, Rambus acquired the firm for $342.5 million, and it continued to function as a subsidiary until 2015. The organization held patents related to protecting cryptographic hardware from power analysis attacks. Its CryptoFirewall series of ASIC cores found applications in pay TV conditional access systems as well as anti-counterfeiting measures.
Among its notable contributions, CRI created BD+, a security mechanism integrated into the Blu-ray disc format, which was instrumental during the competition between HD DVD and Blu-ray. The company’s services division offered expertise in security evaluation, disaster recovery planning, and professional training.
To ensure the integrity of critical operations, Cryptography Research operated a secure internal network physically separated from the Internet. Staff members working with confidential information utilized two distinct computers—one dedicated to the secure network environment and another for general Internet use.