Theo de Raadt (born 1968) is a South African-born Canadian software developer who founded OpenBSD and led development of OpenSSH. His uncompromising focus on security and code correctness established standards for the industry.
NetBSD and OpenBSD
De Raadt was a founding member of NetBSD but was asked to leave the project in 1994 due to conflicts with other developers. He forked the codebase to create OpenBSD, focusing on security and code correctness.
Security Philosophy
De Raadt’s approach to security:
- Proactive auditing rather than reactive patching
- Security through simplicity and correctness
- Minimal default installations
- Open development process
Creating OpenSSH
After SSH became non-free, de Raadt led development of OpenSSH from the last open version. OpenSSH became the standard SSH implementation, used for secure access to virtually every server.
Communication Style
De Raadt is known for direct, sometimes abrasive communication. His approach prioritizes technical correctness over social niceties. This style is controversial but reflects genuine passion for code quality and security.
Impact
De Raadt’s contributions to computing security are immense:
- OpenSSH secures billions of connections daily
- OpenBSD security practices spread industry-wide
- Proof that volunteer projects can set security standards