"security through obscurity" meaning in English

See security through obscurity in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Phrase

Head templates: {{head|en|phrase}} security through obscurity
  1. (computer security) The habit or practice of relying on a potential attacker's lack of knowledge will maintain security. Categories (topical): Computer security Synonyms: security by obscurity, security-by-obscurity, security-through-obscurity Related terms: steganography
    Sense id: en-security_through_obscurity-en-phrase-PfZ0-h23 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for security through obscurity meaning in English (2.2kB)

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "alt": "in cryptography",
      "word": "Kerckhoffs's principle"
    },
    {
      "word": "security by design"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "security through obscurity",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Computer security",
          "orig": "en:Computer security",
          "parents": [
            "Computing",
            "Technology",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1990, W Cattey, The Evolution of turnin A Classroom Oriented File Exchange Service, USENIX Summer Conference",
          "text": "This security through obscurity proved adequate for our prototype, but it was unacceptable for a turnin service in wide use.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Harold F. Tipton, Micki Krause, Information Security Management Handbook",
          "text": "According to security-through-obscurity advocates, if we carefully hide our gaping vulnerabilities from our enemies, the bad guys will give up in frustration when they cannot easily find holes.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Shon Harris, CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide",
          "text": "Things such as security through obscurity become common practices that usually have damaging results.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The habit or practice of relying on a potential attacker's lack of knowledge will maintain security."
      ],
      "id": "en-security_through_obscurity-en-phrase-PfZ0-h23",
      "links": [
        [
          "computer security",
          "computer security"
        ],
        [
          "habit",
          "habit"
        ],
        [
          "practice",
          "practice"
        ],
        [
          "rely",
          "rely"
        ],
        [
          "potential",
          "potential"
        ],
        [
          "attacker",
          "attacker"
        ],
        [
          "knowledge",
          "knowledge"
        ],
        [
          "maintain",
          "maintain"
        ],
        [
          "security",
          "security"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "computer security",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(computer security) The habit or practice of relying on a potential attacker's lack of knowledge will maintain security."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "steganography"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "security by obscurity"
        },
        {
          "word": "security-by-obscurity"
        },
        {
          "word": "security-through-obscurity"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "security through obscurity"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "alt": "in cryptography",
      "word": "Kerckhoffs's principle"
    },
    {
      "word": "security by design"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "security through obscurity",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "steganography"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English phrases",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Computer security"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1990, W Cattey, The Evolution of turnin A Classroom Oriented File Exchange Service, USENIX Summer Conference",
          "text": "This security through obscurity proved adequate for our prototype, but it was unacceptable for a turnin service in wide use.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Harold F. Tipton, Micki Krause, Information Security Management Handbook",
          "text": "According to security-through-obscurity advocates, if we carefully hide our gaping vulnerabilities from our enemies, the bad guys will give up in frustration when they cannot easily find holes.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Shon Harris, CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide",
          "text": "Things such as security through obscurity become common practices that usually have damaging results.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The habit or practice of relying on a potential attacker's lack of knowledge will maintain security."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "computer security",
          "computer security"
        ],
        [
          "habit",
          "habit"
        ],
        [
          "practice",
          "practice"
        ],
        [
          "rely",
          "rely"
        ],
        [
          "potential",
          "potential"
        ],
        [
          "attacker",
          "attacker"
        ],
        [
          "knowledge",
          "knowledge"
        ],
        [
          "maintain",
          "maintain"
        ],
        [
          "security",
          "security"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "computer security",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(computer security) The habit or practice of relying on a potential attacker's lack of knowledge will maintain security."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "security by obscurity"
    },
    {
      "word": "security-by-obscurity"
    },
    {
      "word": "security-through-obscurity"
    }
  ],
  "word": "security through obscurity"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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