Definition of Security

Definition of Security

A simple and clear definition of effective security could be:

• a secure system is a system which does exactly what we want it to do and nothing that we don't want it to do even when someone else tries to make it behave differently.

Another proposed definition:

• When our expectations are met, we can say that quality has been met. When our expectations are met once and again, despite errors, catastrophes and attacks which in principle could prevent our expectations to be met, we can say that security has been met. Security is not falsifiable (Popper). We can prove that there has been a security failure, but we can't prove that there hasn't. Security measures improve the likeliness of expectations to be met, and therefore improve security. With respect to classified matter there is an expectation of the classified matter to remain secret for as long as we wish. A control access system is the security measure that helps this expectation to be accomplished.

The word "security" in general usage is synonymous with "safety," but as a technical term "security" means that something not only is secure but that it has been secured.

Perceived security compared to real security

It is very often true that people's perception of security is not directly related to actual security. For example, a fear of flying is much more common than a fear of driving; however, driving is generally a much more dangerous form of transport.

Categorising security

There is an immense literature on the analysis and categorisation of security. Part of the reason for this is that, in most security systems, the "weakest link in the chain" is the most important. The situation is asymmetric since the defender must cover all points of attack while the attacker can simply identify a single weak point upon which to concentrate their efforts.

Types of security

• Physical Security
• Home Security
• Information Security
• computing security
• Application Security
• Financial Security
• Human Security
• Food Security

We will be focusing on Security from the aspect of Home Security and Human Security. When combined, these two important types of security will help give you the Peace of Mind Security that you require.

Security concepts

Certain concepts recur throughout different fields of security.

• Risk - a risk is a possible event which could cause a loss
• Threat - a threat is a method of triggering a risk event
• Countermeasure - a countermeasure is a way to stop a threat from triggering a risk event
• Defense - never rely on one single security measure alone
• Assurance - assurance is the level of guarantee that a security system will behave as expected