Paul (Prem) Sobel

Paul H. (Prem) Sobel (born March 29, 1946) is an American cryptographer, mathematician, engineer, and designer of the Anti-Statistical Block Encryption (ASBE) algorithm. He jointly invented three U.S. patents in CPU Architecture   held by AMD and one U.S. classified patent. Sobel graduated with honors and a B.S.E.E. Electrical Engineering from Pratt Institute, and an M.S.E.E. Electrical Engineering from California Institute of Technology (CIT).

Early Engineering and Mathematical Work
While at CIT, Sobel developed a new statistical technique using multiple dimensions to prove a flaw in generated random data. Although the random data passed all the standard statistical tests, the random data was still flawed by a multi-dimensional correlation that the new technique uncovered. This new test was accomplished by making a two-dimensional histogram of successive random numbers, scaled to a power of two (for example to the range 0 to 511) and then noticing that the histogram was banded. This could also be determined by applying a DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform) to the histogram as an image and noticing a non-uniform spatial frequency spectrum.

At CIT, Sobel also developed one of the first graphical hidden line removal algorithms. This was used with a mathematical technique, which utilizes sums of three-dimensional Gaussian Surfaces. Sobel used this mathematical technique in a computer art contest. Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA used this Gaussian Surfaces technique for Mars terrain modeling and robotic mission planning.

As a summer college intern, Sobel identified a recurrent problem in IBM’s testing system that saved the company $1 million per year. Upon CIT graduation, Sobel worked for (JPL) NASA where he was recognized with an individual commendation for his automation of Mariner 9 and Viking spacecraft programming on planetary probes. The commendation was for architecting a software system which takes as input the science requirements, makes all navigational calculations, and then programs the spacecraft computer to implement the requests to move the instrument scan platform and take images at the calculated time. The last step simulates the spacecraft and verifies that the requested actions took place as expected.

From 1972-1974 and 1989-1994, Sobel was Professor of Engineering at S.A.I.C.E University (India) where he conducted research in mathematics and collaborated to design and build an electric car.

Sobel was a founder of Vitesse Semiconductor in 1984 and of MerlinCryption in 2011.

Cryptography
Sobel’s earlier security work encompassed log management, NAC, super computer design, graphical and audio presentation of Big Data in eleven or more dimensions, and image processing. His advanced work in the foundations of mathematics along with his new random test developed at CIT contributed to the development of the Anti-Statistical Block Encryption (ASBE) algorithm, which introduced variable key length from 2008 bits to 2 gigabytes and Differential Cryptanalysis-defeating properties. The ASBE algorithm was released in 2011.

Sobel publicly advocates the information security community's need for a new encryption algorithm.