Thoughts on Security

2008-08-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

There's a balance to be struck between security and convenience. The only secure computer is one which has been entombed in concrete, stuck in a vault, and placed under armed guard. Once a computer is connected to a network or accessed by human beings, security has been compromised.

In short, the computer's security is compromised by exactly the same thing that makes it useful.

Striking that balance is a tough exercise. It involves weighing the costs and benefits of each change. Our job as computer security professionals is to make the system as secure as possible without having the security get in the way of productive uses of the system.

--Scott