Security

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"Security breach" redirects here. For the 2021 video game, see Five Nights at Freddy's:
Security Breach. For other uses, see Security (disambiguation).

Women's Army Corps (1941–1945) associated national security with avoiding conversations about war work.

Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other

unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to
act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social
groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems or any other entity or phenomenon
vulnerable to unwanted change.

Refugees fleeing war and insecurity in Iraq and Syria arrive at Lesbos Island, supported by Spanish volunteers,
2015

Security mostly refers to protection from hostile forces, but it has a wide range of other
senses: for example, as the absence of harm (e.g. freedom from want); as the presence
of an essential good (e.g. food security); as resilience against potential damage or harm
(e.g. secure foundations); as secrecy (e.g. a secure telephone line); as containment
(e.g. a secure room or cell); and as a state of mind (e.g. emotional security).
The term is also used to refer to acts and systems whose purpose may be to provide
security (e.g.: security companies, security forces, security guard, cyber security
systems, security cameras, remote guarding).
Security is not only physical but it can also be virtual.

Contents

 1Etymology
 2Overview
o 2.1Referent
o 2.2Context
o 2.3Capabilities
o 2.4Effects
o 2.5Contested approaches
 3Contexts of security (examples)
o 3.1Computer security
o 3.2Corporate security
o 3.3Ecological security
o 3.4Food security
o 3.5Home security
o 3.6Human security
 o 3.7National security
 4Perceptions of security
 5Security concepts (examples)
 6See also
 7References
 8External links

Etymology[edit]
The word 'secure' entered the English language in the 16th century. [1] It is derived from
Latin securus, meaning freedom from anxiety: se (without) + cura (care, anxiety).[1]

Overview[edit]
Referent[edit]
A security referent is the focus of a security policy or discourse; for example, a referent
may be a potential beneficiary (or victim) of a security policy or system.
Security referents may be persons or social groups, objects, institutions, ecosystems, or
any other phenomenon vulnerable to unwanted change by the forces of its environment.
[2]
 The referent in question may combine many referents, in the same way that, for
example, a nation state is composed of many individual citizens. [3]
Context[edit]
The security context is the relationships between a security referent and its
environment.[2] From this perspective, security and insecurity depend first on whether the
environment is beneficial or hostile to the referent, and also how capable is the referent
of responding to its/their environment in order to survive and thrive. [3]
Capabilities[edit]
The means by which a referent provides for security (or is provided for) vary widely.
They include, for example:

 Coercive capabilities, including the capacity to project coercive power into the
environment (e.g. aircraft carrier, handgun, firearms);
 Protective systems (e.g. lock, fence, wall, antivirus software, air defence
system, armour)
 Warning systems (e.g. alarm, radar)
 Diplomatic and social action intended to prevent insecurity from developing
(e.g. conflict prevention and transformation strategies); and
 Policy intended to develop the lasting economic, physical, ecological and other
conditions of security (e.g. economic reform, ecological protection, progressive
demilitarization, militarization).
Effects[edit]
Any action intended to provide security may have multiple effects. For example, an
action may have wide benefit, enhancing security for several or all security referents in
the context; alternatively, the action may be effective only temporarily, or benefit one
referent at the expense of another, or be entirely ineffective or counterproductive.
Contested approaches[edit]
Approaches to security are contested and the subject of debate. For example, in debate
about national security strategies, some argue that security depends principally on
developing protective and coercive capabilities in order to protect the security referent in
a hostile environment (and potentially to project that power into its environment, and
dominate it to the point of strategic supremacy).[4][5][6] Others argue that security depends
principally on building the conditions in which equitable relationships can develop, partly
by reducing antagonism between actors, ensuring that fundamental needs can be met,
and also that differences of interest can be negotiated effectively. [7][3][8]

Border Security vehicle at the US-Canadian border

Contexts of security (examples)[edit]

The table shows some of the main domains where security concerns are prominent.
Physical realm
IT realm Po
 Airport security
 Communications security 
 Corporate security
 Computer security 
 Food security
 Internet security 
 Environmental security
 Application security 
 Home security
 Data security 
 Infrastructure security
 Digital security 
 Physical security
 Information security Mo
 Port security/Supply chain security
 Network security
 Security bag
 Endpoint security 
 Security print
 Border security 
 Security seal

The range of security contexts is illustrated by the following examples (in alphabetical
order):
Computer security[edit]
Main article: Computer security
Computer security, also known as cybersecurity or IT security, refers to the security of
computing devices such as computers and smartphones, as well as computer
networks such as private and public networks, and the Internet. The field has growing
importance due to the increasing reliance on computer systems in most societies. [9] It
concerns the protection of hardware, software, data, people, and also the procedures by
which systems are accessed. The means of computer security include the physical
security of systems and security of information held on them.
Corporate security[edit]
Main article: Corporate security
Corporate security refers to the resilience of corporations against espionage, theft,
damage, and other threats. The security of corporations has become more complex as
reliance on IT systems has increased, and their physical presence has become more
highly distributed across several countries, including environments that are, or may
rapidly become, hostile to them.

Security checkpoint at the entrance to the Delta Air Lines corporate headquarters in Atlanta

X-ray machines and metal detectors are used to control what is allowed to pass through an airport
security perimeter.
Security checkpoint at the entrance to a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia

Ecological security[edit]
Main article: Environmental security
Ecological security, also known as environmental security, refers to the integrity
of ecosystems and the biosphere, particularly in relation to their capacity to sustain
a diversity of life-forms (including human life). The security of ecosystems has attracted
greater attention as the impact of ecological damage by humans has grown. [10]

Graffiti about ecological security, Belarus, 2016

Food security[edit]
Main article: Food security
Food security refers to the ready supply of, and access to, safe and nutritious food.
[11]
 Food security is gaining in importance as the world's population has grown and
productive land has diminished through overuse and climate change.[12][13]

Climate change is affecting global agriculture and food security

Home security[edit]
Main article: Home security
Home security normally refers to the security systems used on a property used as a
dwelling (commonly including doors, locks, alarm systems, lighting, fencing); and
personal security practices (such as ensuring doors are locked, alarms activated,
windows closed etc.)
Security spikes protect a gated community in the East End of London.

Human security[edit]
Main article: Human security

Boys play among the bombed-out ruins of Gaza City, 2009

Human security is an emerging paradigm which, in response to traditional emphasis on

the right of nation states to protect themselves, [14] has focused on the primacy of the
security of people (individuals and communities). [15] The concept is supported by
the United Nations General Assembly, which has stressed "the right of people to live
in freedom and dignity" and recognized "that all individuals, in particular vulnerable
people, are entitled to freedom from fear and freedom from want".[16]
National security[edit]
Main article: National security
National security refers to the security of a nation state, including its people, economy,
and institutions. In practice, state governments rely on a wide range of means,
including diplomacy, economic power, and military capabilities.

Perceptions of security[edit]
Since it is not possible to know with precision the extent to which something is 'secure'
(and a measure of vulnerability is unavoidable), perceptions of security vary, often
greatly.[3][17] For example, a fear of death by earthquake is common in the United States
(US), but slipping on the bathroom floor kills more people; [17] and in France, the United
Kingdom and the US there are far fewer deaths caused by terrorism than there are
women killed by their partners in the home.[18][19][20][21]
Another problem of perception is the common assumption that the mere presence of a
security system (such as armed forces, or antivirus software) implies security. For
example, two computer security programs installed on the same device can prevent
each other from working properly, while the user assumes that he or she benefits from
twice the protection that only one program would afford.
Security theater is a critical term for measures that change perceptions of security
without necessarily affecting security itself. For example, visual signs of security
protections, such as a home that advertises its alarm system, may deter an intruder,
whether or not the system functions properly. Similarly, the increased presence of
military personnel on the streets of a city after a terrorist attack may help to reassure the
public, whether or not it diminishes the risk of further attacks.

Security concepts (examples)[edit]

Certain concepts recur throughout different fields of security:

 Access control – the selective restriction of access to a place or other resource.

 Assurance – an expression of confidence that a security measure will perform as
expected.
 Authorization – the function of specifying access rights/privileges to resources
related to information security and computer security in general and to access
control in particular.
 Cipher – an algorithm that defines a set of steps to encrypt or decrypt information so
that it is incomprehensible.
 Countermeasure – a means of preventing an act or system from having its intended
effect.
 Defense in depth – a school of thought holding that a wider range of security
measures will enhance security.
 Exploit (noun) – a means of capitalizing on a vulnerability in a security system
(usually a cyber-security system).
 Identity management – enables the right individuals to access the right resources at
the right times and for the right reasons.
 Password – secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a
user's identity.
 Resilience – the degree to which a person, community, nation or system is able to
resist adverse external forces.
 Risk – a possible event which could lead to damage, harm, or loss.
 Security management – identification of an organization's assets (including people,
buildings, machines, systems and information assets), followed by the development,
documentation, and implementation of policies and procedures for protecting these
assets.
 Threat – a potential source of harm.
 Vulnerability – the degree to which something may be changed (usually in an
unwanted manner) by external forces.
See also[edit]
 Peace
 Safety
 Security increase
 Security risk
 Security convergence

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b Online Etymology Dictionary. "Origin and meaning of secure". www.etymonline.com.
Retrieved 2017-12-17.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Barry Buzan, Ole Wæver, and Jaap de Wilde, Security: A New Framework for
Analysis (Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998), p. 32
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Gee, D (2016). "Rethinking Security: A discussion
paper" (PDF). rethinkingsecurity.org.uk. Ammerdown Group. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
4. ^ US, Department of Defense (2000). "Joint Vision 2020 Emphasizes Full-spectrum
Dominance". archive.defense.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
5. ^ House of Commons Defence Committee (2015). "Re-thinking defence to meet new
threats". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
6. ^ General Sir Nicholas Houghton (2015). "Building a British military fit for future challenges rather than
past conflicts". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
7. ^ FCNL (2015). "Peace Through Shared Security". Retrieved 2017-12-17.
8. ^ Rogers, P (2010). Losing control : global security in the twenty-first century (3rd ed.). London: Pluto
Press. ISBN 9780745329376. OCLC 658007519.
9. ^ "Reliance spells end of road for ICT amateurs", May 07, 2013, The Australian
10. ^ United Nations General Assembly (2010). "Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 20
December 2010". www.un.org. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
11. ^ United Nations. "Hunger and food security". United Nations Sustainable Development.
Retrieved 2017-12-17.
12. ^ Food and Agriculture Organization (2013). "Greater focus on soil health needed to feed a hungry
planet". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
13. ^ Arsenault, C (2014). "Only 60 Years of Farming Left If Soil Degradation Continues". Scientific
American. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
14. ^ United Nations (1945). "Charter of the United Nations, Chapter VII". www.un.org. Retrieved 2017-
12-17.
15. ^ United Nations. "UN Trust Fund for Human Security". www.un.org. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
16. ^ United Nations General Assembly (2005). "Resolution adopted by the General Assembly 60/1:
World Summit Outcome" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-12-17.
17. ^ Jump up to:a b Bruce Schneier, Beyond Fear: Thinking about Security in an Uncertain World,
Copernicus Books, pages 26–27
18. ^ David Anderson QC (2012). "The Terrorism Acts in 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-12-17.
19. ^ Womens Aid. "What is femicide?". Womens Aid. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
20. ^ "Don't Believe In The War On Women? Would A Body Count Change Your Mind?". Upworthy.
Retrieved 2017-12-17.
21. ^ "Violences conjugales: 118 femmes tuées en 2014". Libération.fr (in French). Retrieved 2017-12-17.