What is Security: Definition and 187 Discussions

Security is freedom from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others. 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.

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.

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  1. siddharth

    News Should the UN Security Council Expand Its Permanent Membership?

    There has been talk of increasing the number of permanent members in the Security Council. The countries who have made the strongest demands for permanent seats are Japan, Germany and India. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Security_Council" So, what are your opinions on the expansion of the...
  2. P

    News Social Security as a Ponzi Scheme

    Is this true? I heard someone talk about it and it got me pretty interested. I just never made the connection between social security and ponzi schemes. Thoughts?
  3. S

    Can Airport Scanners Store Passport Photos for Later Retracing of Individuals?

    Is it feasible that Airports that have scanners instead of Human 'observers', at airports for instance, could have the capacity to store Passport Photo's? Going through airports the human factor of visually inspecting travellers I.D, is open to abuse and flawed. If there was a 'scanner'...
  4. B

    Secure USB Hard Drives - Solutions & Ideas

    Right now I am using a SmartDisk FireLite 60 GB USB removable hard drive to store information from work and home. Does anybody know how to password-protect the entire disk or select folders on the disk? There are a few software tools on the market, but I was hoping somebody has some personal...
  5. E

    Concast & Dial Up LAN communications - Security Exploit

    Concast & Dial Up LAN communications -- Security Exploit While I was switching ISP's earlier today (from Comcast to DLS) the DSL representative told me of some sort of a security hole in Comcasts service. She said that Comcast and Dial up are on some sort of a LAN (In your physical...
  6. dduardo

    DDOS Attack Story: "The Digital Extortionists

    I found a security story that is similar to "The Cuckoo's Egg" by Clifford Stoll, but involves a DDOS attack. It is somewhat long, but definitely a good read. http://www.csoonline.com/read/050105/extortion.html
  7. 1

    News Should We Have More Control Over Our Social Security Funds?

    What to do, what to do? I say give more choices, that way people can do what they want with the money that they own. Example, offer accounts or the regular system, and if too many people choose the accounts to keep the SS system as we know it afloat, then kill it (the current system)...
  8. P

    News Social Security Trust Fund No More?

    :eek: Surely this cannot be true? (From counterpunch.com) March 10, 2005 Looted from the Inside Out Whatever Happened to the Social Security Trust Fund? By JACKIE CORR Your president, in his first State of the Union address (February 27, 2001), promised to make sure that no Social...
  9. A

    Peer-To-Peer Security problems

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  10. russ_watters

    News Why are older Americans so against Bush's Social Security plan?

    (or any SS reform, for that matter) Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-02-16-young-benefits_x.htm Those are some dramatic numbers. I find it striking that even those 50-64 are in favor of it - and by a wider margin than younger people. So why is it that older people (65+) are...
  11. motai

    News Is Social Security Reform really viable?

    A slightly controversial topic, but this came up in our economics class, so ill try to reiterate the discussion as much as possible. With recent addresses in the State of the Union address just a few days ago, the issue of social security reform, and the nature of privatization, has come...
  12. T

    Car security chips can be cracked

    Looks like it's time to get back to the old "club" anti theft device of yesteryears. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200502/s1293334.htm
  13. R

    Is Intercepting Emails Through Phone Line Bugging Illegal? - Birmingham, UK

    Is it illegal for someone to intercept emails by bugging a telephone line? I have been getting anonymous emails in which the sender has made it clear that they know what is in the emails I have been sending out and receiving.Also,the anonymous sender has been making it clear that they can...
  14. K

    News Is Privatizing Social Security Really the Solution?

    I haven't read much about the current social security 'crisis' in this forum, which is strange given that this is the politics forum. Whether or not social security should be reformed (or deformed) seems to be the pressing issue in Congress these days. Do you think Social Security should be...
  15. D

    Best Books on Network Security

    Would anyone like to suggest some books on Network Security? I read Hacking Exposed a while ago. Also, what is the most common language used for utilizing windows exploits? Linux exploits? What is your favourite Linux distribution?
  16. PerennialII

    What kind of layered security you use?

    Was wondering what kind of security software/hardware you're all running & what combination you think is best in terms of effectivity/reliability/maintenance (got some hardware updates to do, might as well update the system a bit if seen necessary)? ... on this pc I'm relying on software alone...
  17. M

    News Bush looks to reform Social Security

    Bush looks to reform Social Security... http://reuters.myway.com/article/20041104/2004-11-04T171703Z_01_N041922_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-BUSH-SOCIAL-SECURITY-DC.html How many of you are aware that originally SS was meant to be temporary and allowed for states/counties to vote themselves out of the...
  18. BobG

    News Bush solution to Social Security?

    Is the flu vaccine shortage really a solution to the Social Security problem? :smile: http://tomburka.com/archives2/2004_10.php#000675 (Caution: humor)
  19. M

    Is Wireless Security Enough to Protect Confidential Medical Information?

    My dad just bought a laptop and he wants to setup wireless internet for him and my mom. Which translates to, he wants me to setup wireless internet. But the problem is he is a doctor and will probably have confidential patient info on his computer, I have don’t have much experience in wireless...
  20. T

    Surprising Security Breach: Unauthorized Editing of MIT College Applications

    I was working on filling out my college application for MIT when I had timed out... so I went back to the site and hit undergrad admissions... and volla without typing in a username or password I was in the editing area for a student in california I have never met. How is it possible that I was...
  21. D

    Exploring the World of Network Security: Join the Conversation!

    Is anyone interested in the field of network security? Do you specialize in a particular field? Would be interested if anyone has the same passion as me. :redface: I can not wait for summer to come, to give me some time for this hobby.
  22. D

    Security at Athens: Is the Billions of Dollars Spent Worth It?

    Remember that thread I started about security at Athens and whether you'd go to the Olympics or not? What exactly did Greece spend billions of dollars on? A couple of days ago during a synchronized swimming event, a Montrealer wearing no shirt and a tutu, climbed onto a diving board and...
  23. wasteofo2

    News The DMV has stricter identification requirements than boarder security does.

    I just got my learners permit today at the DMV, and brought a photocopy of my birth certificate as a form of identification. They did not accept it and said I needed an original document with the state seal stamped on it to proove that the document is real, so my dad and I had to go to the town...
  24. D

    How Many Combinations Are Possible for a 4-Digit Jet Ski Security Code?

    i was wondering how to calculate the posibilities that a security code could be. For instance if a jet ski security code consists of 4 numbers. each digit can be any number 1 through 5. how many combinations can that make? p.s. - I am not trying to steal a jet ski; I am just wondering.
  25. dduardo

    US Department of Homeland Security: Don't Use IE

    http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,64065,00.html?tw=wn_story_page_prev2 If you haven't switched to Mozila yet what are you waiting for?
  26. L

    Can Firewalls Protect Computers from Hacking?

    is it possible to hack a computer if it has a firewall?
  27. J

    News Will Social Security be sustainable in the future?

    According to the Social Security Act, "the purpose of Social Security is to provide insured persons with payments by way of a retirement benefit, survivors benefit, sickness benefit, and to substitute for compensation under the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance, a system of insurance against...
  28. A

    News This is a vital issue and concerns National Security who will drop this ball

    as this article points out Bushco is well on their way to fumbling the ball. see here: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4864237-102275,00.html :eek:
  29. Monique

    Woman gets 363 million Euro social security money

    I my newspaper the other day :biggrin:.. a 39 year old woman had to rub her eyes when she looked at her account balance: an amount of 363 million Euros had been transferred to her account, underneath it said 'corrective transfer action', the money is being returned to her. Turned out that a...
  30. A

    Security Software Recommendations for WinXP

    Hey guys I figure you guys are among the most saviest of computer users on the net, so I want to get some expert advise. What do yall use for all of your vairous types of security software? (I run WinXP) I'm running ZoneAlarm Pro for my firewall. I use McAfee SecurityCenter for my...
  31. Monique

    News Extended US airport security measures

    http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/02/politics/02CND-TRAV.html?ex=1081573200&en=673fa03caad258a2&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE Now people visiting the US from the following countries will also be fingerprinted and photographed by Sept 30 2004: Supposedly you should have your biometric...
  32. Saint

    Bull Security Center of Windows XP SP2

    Bull**** Security Center of Windows XP SP2 I installed Windows XP SP2, it has a security center, it prompted me that I did not install anti-virus, indeed I had, free version of Avast, the security center only recognise Mcafee; is it a dirty trick of business? :rolleyes:
  33. enigma

    Norton Internet Security question

    I've been getting a whole bunch of these alerts, and I'm not sure what they're actually reporting: Norton is telling me it's low risk, and the default (recommended) action is to permit it. I'm wondering what this is actually reporting, and whether it's safe to check the "always do this" box...
  34. M

    OBL Found:National Security Agency satellite

    OBL Found!:National Security Agency satellite http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=awJVc6Kiq75c&refer=top_world_news The area is under surveillance from a satellite while forces await orders, the newspaper said in its early Sunday edition, AFP reported. Bin Laden's...
  35. M

    News How Galveston, TX opted out of Social Security

    How Galveston, TX opted out of Social Security... http://www.tppf.org/government/perspect/holbrook.html :smile:
  36. S

    Computer Security: Get More Control & Restrict User Access

    I'm a control freak. So I need to know - how can I have more control over my computer? I want to place restrictions on what users can do on the computer. For example, is it possible to make certain programs inaccessible without an override password? The only reason I ask is because once I...
  37. H

    News Privacy vs Security: Examining the Debate on TIA Systems

    I recently stumbled across this: http://www.darpa.mil/iao/TIASystems.htm As one might expect, this prompted harsh criticism! http://www.acm.org/usacm/Letters/tia_final.html http://news.com.com/2100-1023-981945.html http://news.com.com/2100-1023-981753.html This is a recent...
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