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For this reason it involves aspects of Social Science , Psychology and Economics , as well as Physics , Chemistry and Mathematics . Some of the techniques used, such as Fault Tree Analysis , are derived from Safety Engineering .

Other techniques such as Cryptography were previously restricted to military applications. One of the pioneers of security engineering as a formal field of study is Ross Anderson .


QUALIFICATIONS

Typical qualifications for a security engineer are:
  • Chartered Professional Engineer

  • CPP

  • PSP

  • BICSI RCDD

  • CISSP

    • However, multiple qualifications, or several qualified persons working in concert, may provide the more a compleat solution. {Link without Title}



SECURITY STANCE

Possible default positions on security matters:

Default deny - "Everything not explicitly permitted is forbidden"

-- Improves security at a cost in functionality. This is a good approach if you have lots of security threats. See Secure Computing for a discussion of Computer Security using this approach.

Default permit - "Everything not explicitly forbidden is permitted"

-- Allows greater functionality by sacrificing security. This is only a good approach in an environment where security threats are non-existent or negligible. See Computer Insecurity for an example of the failure of this approach in the real world.


SUB-FIELDS

  • Physical Security - measures that prevent or deter attackers from accessing a facility, resource, or information stored on physical media.

  • Information Security - protecting data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, destruction, modification, or disruption to access. (See esp. Computer Security )

  • Economics Of Security - addressing the economic aspects of economics of privacy and computer security.



METHODOLOGIES

Technological advances, principally in the field of Computer s, have now allowed the creation of far more complex systems, with new and complex security problems. Because modern systems cut across many areas of human endeavor, security engineers not only need consider the mathematical and physical properties of systems; they also need to consider attacks on the people who use and form parts of those systems using Social Engineering attacks. Secure systems have to resist not only technical attacks, but also Coercion , Fraud , and Deception by Confidence Trickster s.


Computer - Patterns & Practices

According to the ''Microsoft Developer Network'' the patterns & practices of Security Engineering consists of the following activities:
  • Security Objectives

  • Security Design Guidelines

  • Security Modeling

  • Security Architecture and Design Review

  • Security Code Review

  • Security Testing

  • Security Tuning

  • Security Deployment Review

    • These activities are designed to help meet security objectives in the Software Life Cycle .



Physical - Patterns & Practices

  • Understanding of a ''typical'' threat and the usual risks to people and property.

  • Understanding risk and threat analysis methodology and the benefits of an empirical study of the physical security of a facility.

  • Understanding how to apply the methodology to buildings, critical infrastructure, ports, public transport and other facilities/compounds.

  • Overview of common physical and technological methods of protection and understanding their roles in Deterrence , Detection and Mitigation .

  • Determining and prioritizing security needs and aligning them with the perceived threats and the available budget.



COMPANIES AND GOVERNMENTS EMPLOYING SECURITY ENGINEERS



CRITICISMS

  • There is a need for appropriate licensing for security engineers (this differs from country to country).

  • The use of the term "engineering" is debated. One argument being that few practicing security engineers hold Engineering degrees from accredited Universities .



  Author Ross Anderson
  Year 2001
  Title Why Information Security is Hard - An Economic Perspective
  Booktitle Proc Annual Computer Security Applications Conference
  URL http://wwwacsa-adminorg/2001/papers/110pdf