Sarah Gordon (computer scientist)
Sarah Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Indiana University South Bend (B.Sc., 1997), Middlesex University (Ph.D. in Computer Science) |
| Occupation(s) | Computer security expert, academic |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Employer(s) | Florida Institute of Technology, Dr. Solomon's Software, Command Software, IBM Research, Symantec Corporation |
| Known for | Research on virus creators, hackers, social computing; early identification of macro viruses; coined term "vX" |
Sarah Gordon is a distinguished computer security expert recognized for her groundbreaking scholarly research on virus creators, hackers, and challenges related to social computing. She was a pioneer in promoting a multidisciplinary perspective within computer security, with the majority of her influential technical work published from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s.
In 1995, Gordon identified two of the earliest "concept viruses" aimed at Microsoft applications, challenging the prevailing assumption that viruses could not spread via email and revealing vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word caused by macro viruses. Additionally, she produced the inaugural analysis of active Linux viruses. Gordon introduced the term "vX" to denote Virus Exchange and contributed other terminology to computing language, demonstrating her fascination with linguistics.
Gordon became part of the computer science graduate faculty at the Florida Institute of Technology in 2004. Her professional journey includes positions at security companies like Dr. Solomon's Software, Command Software, IBM Research, and Symantec Corporation, although her primary emphasis has consistently been academic. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University South Bend earned in 1997, a master's degree in Human Behaviour and Professional Counseling, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science awarded by Middlesex University.
External links
References
- Articles with short description
- Pages using infobox person with multiple employers
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Living people
- Computer security academics
- American computer scientists
- American women computer scientists
- Florida Institute of Technology faculty
- IBM Research computer scientists
- Gen Digital people
- Indiana University South Bend alumni
- Alumni of Middlesex University
- Year of birth missing (living people)
- 21st-century American women academics
- 21st-century American academics
- 21st-century American scientists
- 21st-century American women scientists