The computer-related risk of the year: computer abuse

The defensive technology required to combat the threats represented by computer attacks, especially upon computer-based systems intended to meet such requirements as human safety, reliability, guaranteed availability, and real-time responsiveness, is discussed. Three fundamental gaps between what computer security actually enforces and the way computer systems are used are identified and discussed: technological (computer mechanism versus computer policy), sociotechnological (computer policy) versus social policy, and sociological (social policy versus antisocial behavior). The potential for computer attacks is discussed, along with ways to defend against computer system misuses.<>