Polhemspriset 2024 awarded to creators of security key
The 2024 Polhemspris is awarded to Jakob and Stina Ehrensvärd, who have developed the security key YubiKey, which requires physical presence and enables password-free security. Their company, Yubico, has developed hardware that connects to a computer or mobile device via direct contact or near-field communication, generating crypto keys using asymmetric encryption for secure login.
Polhemspriset consists of a medal in gold and 250,000 SEK. The award ceremony will take place at Tekniska museet on November 6th.
The awardees have shown great perseverance, from an idea and a few initial prototypes at the kitchen table to a range of advanced products and a successful global company.
– In a world where IT security is becoming increasingly important and every user plays a part in maintaining an organization’s protection against intrusions, this year’s awardees of Polhemspriset, Jakob and Stina Ehrensvärd, have developed YubiKey, a secure login technology that is also easy to use, says Ulrika Lindstrand, President of Engineers of Sweden.
Account hijacking, data breaches, and phishing are examples of modern digital threats. The most common way to protect oneself has been through login with username and password, but this method is no longer sufficiently secure. Today, two-factor authentication is often used, where a verification code via SMS or an app on the mobile phone is added alongside a password. Even these software solutions are vulnerable to digital threats, while YubiKey offers a higher level of security that protects against phishing and other intrusion attempts.
– We are extremely honored to receive Polhemspriset. We want to thank our colleagues at Yubico, and together we continue to develop innovations to secure people’s digital identity. We will donate the prize money to Världsnaturfonden WWF, which in turn helps us protect land, water, and ecological systems that we all depend on for our long-term security, say Jakob and Stina Ehrensvärd.
The company Yubico was founded by Jakob and Stina Ehrensvärd in 2007, and their products have consistently aimed to offer secure and simple login without solely relying on passwords. Yubico was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 2023 and has a market value of approximately 24 billion SEK. In 2023, the company had a turnover of about 1.8 billion SEK and currently has around 450 employees.
Polhemspriset – in the spirit of Christopher Polhem since 1878
Christopher Polhem (1661–1751) was one of Sweden’s most prominent innovators of all time.
Engineers of Sweden annually awards Polhemspriset, which is Sweden’s oldest technical award and has been awarded since 1878. The prize is awarded for high-level technical innovation or for a brilliant solution to a technical problem. The innovation must be available on the open market and be competitive. This year’s award ceremony will take place on November 6 at Tekniska museet in Stockholm. In connection with Polhemspriset award ceremony, Lilla Polhemspriset and Wimanska priset for theses are also awarded.
Previous awardees include Baltzar von Platen and Carl Munthers for the refrigerator (1925), Håkan Lans for GPS (1995), Petra Wadström for the water purifier Solvatten (2013), and Christopher Ahlberg and Staffan Truvé for Recorded Future (2023).
