In life, each person must choose how much of their privacy they are willing to trade off in return for increased security. Optimal security requires certain privacy violations. As a society, we must choose what is tolerable and what is not. We must also strive to understand ways to still feel secure and engage security from a technological perspective yet still honor privacy wishes.
Security is also a delicate balancing act between those who help create the systems and those who wish to compromise them. This balancing act is played out daily, hourly even, with each side winning at different times. Each group relies more heavily on technology than ever.
Security systems are in place to prevent intrusions and to minimize the scope of a successful intrusion. Thus security systems act much like a risk management department at a large bank. One has to balance the privacy invasion of the new security measures with “what’s the worse that could happen if someone intruded”.
Changes in security systems take time. In many cases, society has to agree with the system and coordinate its’ integration. There may also be a timeline required for procuring the new system. There are many exceptions to this though. For example, many businesses have implemented security cameras on their exteriors. Did they ask the neighbor across the street if they were okay with having a camera point at them? In most cases this never happens or is even considered. Overall though, large scale implementations take time – time which attackers can exploit. Attackers are therefore more agile and adapt more easily and quickly. When one organization finally implements a security system that prevents their exploit, they will move to another organization that hasn’t implemented a system yet.
These issues exist in the computer world as related to security as well as the physical world and physical security. There are many lessons to be learned from each. The end results is usually that criminals are more flexible and can be successful as long as they keep moving and adapting.
The other problem with security systems is that the people creating them have to try to consider any conceivable attack and how to defend it. The attackers however only have to find a single flaw and exploit it. So security systems are often knee jerk responses to successful exploits.
It is the purpose of this website and blog to consider and discuss these issues. Please join us in reading and following. We will especially consider the application of technology to superior security systems.
We will also discuss how these topics relate to every day businesses. For instance, how technology and security affects a medical practice like a dentist and what HIPPA means. We will also explore the legal ramifications of security – do security systems violate patents? What crime is committed when someone is caught?
Do you have a subject you would like to discuss? Let us know!