Ed Gerck
Mon, 05 May 2008 16:51:42 -0700
Ian G wrote: (on Kerckhoffs's rules)
=====================6. Finally, it is necessary, given the circumstances that command its application, that the system be easy to use, requiring neither mental strain nor the knowledge of a long series of rules to observe.===================== ... PS: Although his 6th is arguably the most important
Yes. Usability should be the #1 property of a secure system.Conventional security thinking says that usability and security are like a seesaw; if usability goes up, security must go down, and vice-versa. This apparent antinomy actually works as a synergy: with more usability in a secure system, security increases. With less usability in a secure system, security decreases. A secure system that is not usable will be left aside by users.
Cheers, Ed Gerck --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]