Essential Reading in the Field of Security

In the book “Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World”, written back in 2003, Bruce Schneier writes about security in a very general sense. He specifically refers to “security” in the sense of protection against threats, as opposed to “safety” or technical reliability.

The author has thought through the problem very thoroughly and abstracts it to such an extent that he can address various topics such as terrorism, passport controls, credit cards, and computer security. To this end, he establishes a five-question plan that can be used to scrutinize security systems and applies it to the areas mentioned above.

At times, I was very impressed by how much insight Bruce Schneier truly has. In some places, it reads almost like a philosophy book. He also takes the economic background into account. For him, security is always a trade-off between the avoidance of danger and the effort required to achieve it.

The book dates from 2003, a time when the USA was still in a state of shock following 9/11. Mr. Schneier’s book was likely intended to encourage a critical rethink of the “Homeland Security” measures being pursued by US politicians at the time. This is because many of the measures demanded by politicians cannot achieve the desired effect and are only intended to reassure voters; they are a placebo.

It does get a little long-winded in some parts in the middle, but it is a milestone nonetheless.

Bruce Schneier
Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World
Copernicus
2003