Security

Security is freedom from, or resilience against,

fleeing war and insecurity in Iraq and Syria arrive at , 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. ); as the presence of an essential good (e.g. ); as against potential damage or harm (e.g. secure foundations); as secrecy (e.g. a ); as containment (e.g. a secure room or ); and as a state of mind (e.g. ).

The term is also used to refer to acts and systems whose purpose may be to provide security (e.g. ; ; ; ; ).

Etymology[]

The word 'secure' entered the English language in the 16th century.

Overview[]

Referent[]

A security 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.

Context[]

The security context is the relationships between a security referent and its environment.

Capabilities[]

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. , , );

Protective systems (e.g. , , , , , )

Warning systems (e.g. alarm, )

Diplomatic and social action intended to prevent insecurity from developing (e.g. strategies); and

Policy intended to develop the lasting economic, physical, ecological and other conditions of security (e.g. reform, protection, , ).

Effects[]

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[]

Approaches to security are contested and the subject of debate. For example, in debate about , 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 ).

Border Security vehicle at the US-Canadian border

Contexts of security (examples)[]

The table shows some of the main domains where security concerns are prominent.

The range of security contexts is illustrated by the following examples (in alphabetical order):

Computer security[]

, also known as cybersecurity or IT security, refers to the security of computing devices such as and smartphones, as well as such as private and public networks, and the . The field has growing importance due to the increasing reliance on computer systems in most societies. of systems and held on them.

Corporate security[]

Corporate security refers to the resilience of against , 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.

Ecological security[]

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

about , , 2016

Food security[]

Food security refers to the ready supply of, and access to, safe and food..

is affecting global and

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 in the .

Human security[ Boys play among the bombed-out ruins of , 2009
Human security is the name of an emerging which, in response to traditional emphasis on the right of nation states to protect themselves, The concept is supported by the , which has stressed "the right of people to live in and " and recognized "that all individuals, in particular vulnerable people, are entitled to and ".[16]

National security[]

National security refers to the security of a , including its people, economy, and institutions. In practice, state governments rely on a wide range of means, including , , and .

Perceptions of security[]

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. For example, a fear of death by earthquake is common in the United States (US), but slipping on the bathroom floor kills more people; than there are women killed by their partners in the home.

Another problem of perception is the common assumption that the mere presence of a security system (such as , or ) implies security. For example, two 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.

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 , whether or not the system functions properly. Similarly, the on the streets of a city after a may help to reassure the public, whether or not it diminishes the risk of further attacks.

Security concepts (examples)[]

Certain concepts recur throughout different fields of security:

- the selective restriction of access to a place or other resource.

- an expression of confidence that a security measure will perform as expected.

- the function of specifying access rights/privileges to resources related to information security and computer security in general and to access control in particular.

- a means of preventing an act or system from having its intended effect.

- a school of thought holding that a wider range of security measures will enhance security.

(noun) - a means of capitalizing on a vulnerability in a security system (usually a cyber-security system).

- enables the right individuals to access the right resources at the right times and for the right reasons.

- the degree to which a person, community, nation or system is able to resist adverse external forces.

- a possible event which could lead to damage, harm, or loss.

- 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.

- a potential source of harm.

- the degree to which something may be changed (usually in an unwanted manner) by external forces.