Legally Mandated Security: The Rise Of Security By Design And Default

Until recently – and, arguably, with ample justification – computer and network security has been the exclusive bailiwick of security experts. However, ever-busy legislators and lawyers can never leave well enough alone.¹ As a result, security in many areas of the economy is now mandated by regulations and contracts.

I want to explore this phenomenon in a series of successive blogs. The first will look at the background of security and, in particular, what security actually means. Subsequent blogs will take a peek at what the law (surprisingly) mandates for technology security.

Among the prevailing concepts in security are two important and complementary ideas: Security by Design and Security by Default.