Moti M. Yung
Also known as Mordechai M. Yung
Moti Yung is a cryptographer and security researcher at Google whose work spans malicious cryptography, a public-key second factor behind U2F, and privacy-preserving data analytics. He earned his PhD at Columbia University in 1988 under Zvi Galil, and in 1996 he and Adam Young coined the term cryptovirology and introduced kleptography. Previous roles included IBM Research, CertCo and RSA Laboratories, and he joined Google in 2007, worked at Snap from 2016 to 2018, and returned to Google in 2018. The IEEE Computer Society gave him its McDowell Award in 2018 and its Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer Award in 2021, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering elected him in 2023 and 2026. As of October 2026, he is a Security and Privacy Research Scientist at Google and adjunct research faculty at Columbia.
- Now at
- Google and Columbia University
- Born
- 1959
Years link to their sources.
Timeline
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1988
PhD at Columbia
He earns his PhD at Columbia University in 1988 under the supervision of Zvi Galil.
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1996–2004
Cryptovirology and kleptography
In 1996, he and Adam L. Young coin the term cryptovirology for using cryptography as an attack weapon in malware, and describe the first ransomware built on public-key cryptography. They also introduce kleptography, which uses cryptography to attack host cryptosystems. Their book Malicious Cryptography: Exposing Cryptovirology, published by Wiley in 2004, covers these threats and the defenses against them.
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2007–2016
Joining Google
He joins Google in 2007 and works there until early 2016. His previous roles include IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center, vice president and chief scientist at CertCo (formerly Bankers Trust E-Commerce), and director of advanced authentication research at RSA Laboratories.
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2016–2018
Research scientist at Snap
He moves from Google to Snap in 2016 and works there as a research scientist until 2018, when he returns to Google. His work at Snap includes the company's secure end-to-end encryption.
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2018–2021
Two IEEE Computer Society awards
The IEEE Computer Society selects him for its 2018 W. Wallace McDowell Award, for innovative contributions to computer and network security. In 2021, he receives its Women of ENIAC Computer Pioneer Award.
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2022
Scaling the GAEN notification API
In 2022, he coauthors “Scaling up GAEN Pseudorandom Processes: Preparing for a More Extensive Pandemic” at ESORICS with Liron David, Avinatan Hassidim and Yossi Matias. The paper presents two modular enhancements that scale up the Google-Apple Exposure Notification API, which many COVID-19 contact tracing systems rely on, with a better performance-privacy tradeoff.
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2023–2026
Two academy elections
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences elects him a fellow in 2023. In 2026, he is elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
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As of October 2026
Security and privacy at Google
He is a Security and Privacy Research Scientist at Google and an adjunct research faculty member in Columbia's computer science department. His industrial work includes a public-key based second factor that results in U2F, and secure large-scale distributed computation protocols for privacy-preserving data analytics.
Career
- Since 2007GoogleSecurity and Privacy Research Scientist
- NowColumbia UniversityAdjunct Research Faculty
- 2016–2018SnapResearch Scientist
- CertCoVice President and Chief Scientist
- RSA SecurityDirector of Advanced Authentication Research
Education
- 1988Columbia UniversityPhD
Colleagues
Sources and credits
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