Peter G. Neumann
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Ok, you expect your shrink-wrapped software to work properly, without annoying reliability bugs and security holes. Or maybe you would like the systems you develop to work properly, without serious risks to their users. But those systems don't quite work the way they are supposed to. So, what's new? Perusal of the Risks archives [1] suggests that startlingly few real success stories are recorded, and that perhaps we might as well just learn to live with almost every system having bugs—some even colossal in scope [2].
Computer vulnerabilities: exploitation or avoidance
The online Risks Forum has long been a hotbed for discussions of the relative merits of openness relating to the dissemination of knowledge about security vulnerabilities. The debate has now been rekindled, and is summarized here.
This month we summarize the main issues relating to the increasing use of cryptography in the world—for example, in enhancing confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity in computers and communications. Earlier columns have considered some related topics [1].
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