From the course: Programming Foundations: Web Security

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Security through obscurity

Security through obscurity

From the course: Programming Foundations: Web Security

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Security through obscurity

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- Security through obscurity is our next core security principle. It has a nice rhyme to it. It means that it's more secure to withhold or obscure information 'cause information is valuable to an attacker. Learning new information benefits an attacker. It never benefits a defender. Therefore, the less information you give out, the better. Information should be kept on a need to know basis. It's similar to the principle of least privilege that we saw earlier. Give out the least amount of information necessary to complete the job. Most Hollywood heist films have a scene where the heroes perform some reconnaissance on their target. They watch the outside of the building through binoculars. They wait patiently as key personnel come and go so they can create a schedule of their daily routine. They photograph the security guards. They make maps and note the locations of security cameras. When hackers perform reconnaissance…

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