Simson L. Garfinkel

Simson Leon Garfinkel
(By Simson L. Garfinkel)
Born	1965 (age 51–52)
Nationality	United States
Fields	Computer science
Institutions	US Census Bureau
Alma mater	MIT (SB, SB, SB 1983) Columbia University (MS 1988) MIT (PhD 2005)
Doctoral advisor	David D. Clark
Known for	UNIX-HATERS Handbook Cross-Drive Analysis Database Nation Practical UNIX and Internet Security
Notable awards	Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement Award Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award

Simson L. Garfinkel (born 1965), is the Chief of the US Census Bureau's Center for Disclosure Avoidance Research in Suitland, Maryland.

Garfinkel was formerly a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (2015-2017) and, prior to that, an associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California (2006-2015). Garfinkel is regarded as a leader in the fields of digital forensics and usable security. In addition to his research , Garfinkel is a journalist, an entrepreneur, and an inventor; his work in is generally concerned with computer security, privacy, and information technology.

Garfinkel is the author or co-author of 15 books, and the author of more than a thousand articles. He is a contributing writer for Technology Review and has written as a freelancer for many publications including Wired magazine, The Boston Globe, Privacy Journal and CSO Magazine. His work for CSO Magazine earned him five regional and national journalism awards, including the Jesse H. Neal Business Journalism Awards in 2003 and 2004.

As an entrepreneur, Garfinkel founded Vineyard.NET, an Internet service provider on Martha's Vineyard, and Sandstorm Enterprises, a computer security firm that develops advanced computer forensic tools used by businesses and governments to audit their systems. Garfinkel holds six patents, mostly in the field of computer security.