BTG plc (LSE: BGC), a global leader in commercialising early stage technologies, uses Hawkes’ expertise as e-commerce security advisor building on the early projects with Davies. Hawkes sits on BTG’s applications advisory panel, working on new biometric technology and its applications for automatic identification. He has been responsible for creating and developing smart card, RFID tag and biometric inventions, projects and investments at BTG. Hawkes is also Chairman of the Association for Biometrics and also sits on a DTI information security advisory panel.
In 1979, the two pioneers realised that as computer networking grew in popularity, higher levels of security would be needed to prevent malicious use of the networks. One of the crucial breakthroughs that make modern computer communications possible is the work in packet-switching, which enables the exchange of information between computers essential to the internet infrastructure used today.
The duo pursued the smart card’s potential as a network access control device and as an authorisation token for secure transactions over large scale open networks such as the internet. By applying public and private key cryptography, they achieved message privacy and integrity as well as the ability to authenticate people and networked computers participating in transactions. Under Davies’ and Hawkes’ guidance new protocols were created to ensure secure messaging.
Other developments by Hawkes and Davies includes:
i) the signature token, commonly referred to as a multi-application smart card, gave birth to digital signatures, which supports many electronic purse schemes today.
ii) the design of contact-less smart cards, helping to achieve email privacy using the DES encryption standard. This was to enable fast message encryption, decryption, authentication and other functions needed for quick, easy to use and trustworthy e-Commerce.
Donald Davies receives the award posthumously as the cryptography consultant who worked with Hawkes in the development of public key encryption. One of his most prominent achievements was in packet data switching, which was rapidly taken up in the USA to enable the ARPANET.
The ORGA Advanced Card Hall of Fame Award by the Advanced Card Award group, recognises lifetime achievement within the smart card industry.
