Security in Computing, Third Edition

3.6. Summary of Program Threats and Controls

This chapter has covered development issues in computer security: the kinds and effects of security flaws, both unintentional and in malicious code, and the techniques that can help to control threats. Malicious code receives a great deal of attention in the media; the colorful terminology certainly draws people to stories about it, and the large numbers of affected systems ensure that major malicious code attacks get very wide visibility. But it is important for us to realize that the seriousness of the threat and the degree of vulnerability should also cause people to pay attention. The total amount of damage already done is not measurable, but it is certainly large. Many successful attacks go undetected—for ...