The Applied Cryptography and Security Laboratory (CASLab) was created at the University of Chile on October 2001. Initially, it was thought of as a long term project of both the Ctr. de Modelamiento Matemático (CMM), a UChile-CNRS unit, and the Depto. de Ciencias de la Computacion (DCC), both of the University of Chile.

On October 2006 the Laboratory became a virtual network of Chilean scientists with research interests in computational security in general and applied cryptography in particular.

The Lab's main objectives are:

• To develop local expertise in the areas of cryptography and security.
• To facilitate the development of a critical mass of local researchers on information technologies and applied mathematics.
• To promote the use of open systems and the Internet by helping build confidence of the local community on them and their uses.