Why we need a new definition of information security

Executive Consultant, Emagined Security, [email protected]. There is an old Peanuts strip where Charlie Brown says, “Working here is like wetting your pants in the pool, wearing a dark bathing suit. You get that warm feeling but nobody notices.” Increasingly, I think computer security professionals in large enterprises are in that metaphorical swimming pool. In fact, many are swimming in the deep end without their water wings. When computer security professionals do an excellent job protecting systems and information, the number of bad outcomes decreases. After a generation of peace, pretty soon people start asking why we need the army. I believe this problem stems in part from a fuzzy fundamental: the definition of information security.