Other Computer Sciences Commons^™

Effective Security By Obscurity, John Christian Smith

John Christian Smith

"Security by obscurity" is a bromide which is frequently applied to undermine the perceived value of a certain class of techniques in security. This usage initially stemmed from applications and experience in the areas of cryptographic theory, and the open vs. closed source debate. Through the perceived absence of true security, the field of security by obscurity has not coalesced into a viable or recognizable approach for security practitioners. Consequently, this has resulted in these techniques going under-used and under-appreciated by defenders, while they continue to provide value to attackers, which creates an unfortunate information asymmetry. Exploring effective methods for …