Chapter 2. Security Trends

This chapter presents the following:

• Evolution of computing and how it relates to security

• Different areas that fall under the security umbrella

• The definition of information warfare

• Examples of security exploits

• A layered approach to security

• Politics that affect security

Security is a fascinating topic because it covers so many different areas (physical, network, platform, application, and so on), each with its own risks, threats, and solutions. When information security is discussed, the theme is usually hackers and software vulnerabilities. Although these are big security concerns, they are only two components within the larger field of security issues. Hacking is foremost in people’s minds with regard to security because that is what usually fascinates the media and thus makes the headlines. Hacking is considered flashy and newsworthy, whereas not much coverage is given to what is going on behind the scenes with corporations’ global security issues and the Internet as a whole.