View source for Usable security

{{copy edit|date=January 2024}}
{{Short description|Subfield of Computer Science and Cybersecurity}}

'''Usable security''' is a subfield of [[Computer science|computer science]], [[Human–computer interaction|human-computer interaction]], and [[Computer security|cybersecurity]] concerned with the [[User interface design|user interface design]] of cybersecurity systems.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Garfinkel |first1=Simson |title=Introduction |date=2014 |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-031-02343-9_1 |work=Usable Security |pages=1–11 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-02343-9_1 |isbn=978-3-031-01215-0 |access-date=2022-12-01 |last2=Lipford |first2=Heather Richter}}</ref> In particular, usable security focuses on ensuring that the security implications of interacting with computer systems, such as via [[Alert dialog box|alert dialog boxes]], are accessible and understandable to human users. This differs from the [[Software engineering|software engineering]] method of [[Secure by design|secure by design]] by placing greater focus on the human aspects of cybersecurity, rather than the technical. Usable security also sits opposite the idea of [[Security through obscurity|security through obscurity]] by working to ensure that users are aware of the security implications of their decisions.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Renaud |first1=Karen |title=Why Doesn't Jane Protect Her Privacy? |date=2014 |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-319-08506-7_13 |work=Privacy Enhancing Technologies |volume=8555 |pages=244–262 |editor-last=De Cristofaro |editor-first=Emiliano |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-08506-7_13 |isbn=978-3-319-08505-0 |access-date=2022-12-01 |last2=Volkamer |first2=Melanie |last3=Renkema-Padmos |first3=Arne |s2cid=9509269 |editor2-last=Murdoch |editor2-first=Steven J.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yee |first=Ka-Ping |date=2004 |title=Aligning security and usability |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1341409 |journal=IEEE Security & Privacy |volume=2 |issue=5 |pages=48–55 |doi=10.1109/MSP.2004.64 |s2cid=206485281 |issn=1558-4046}}</ref>

== History ==

Usable security was first established by [[Computer scientist|Computer Scientists]] [[Biography:Jerry Saltzer|Jerry Saltzer]] and [[Biography:Michael Schroeder|Michael Schroeder]] in their 1975 work ''The Protection of Information in Computer Systems<ref>{{Cite journal |title=A Contemporary Look at Saltzer and Schroeder's 1975 Design Principles {{!}} IEEE Journals & Magazine {{!}} IEEE Xplore |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6226346 |access-date=2023-12-28 |journal=IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine |doi=10.1109/msp.2012.85 |date=2012 |last1=Smith |first1=Richard |page=1 |s2cid=13371996 }}</ref>'', now colloquially referred to as [[Saltzer and Schroeder's design principles]]. The principles draw attention to 'psychological acceptability', stating that the design an interface should match the users mental model of the system. The authors note that security errors are likely to occur when the users mental model and underlying system operation do not match. 

Despite Saltzer and Schroeder's work, the widely-held view was, and continued to be, that security and usability were inherently in conflict; being either that security through obscurity was a preferable approach, or that user discomfort and confusion was just a requirement to ensuring good security.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Garfinkel |first1=Simson |title=A Brief History of Usable Privacy and Security Research |date=2014 |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-031-02343-9_2 |work=Usable Security |pages=13–21 |access-date=2023-12-28 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-02343-9_2 |isbn=978-3-031-01215-0 |last2=Lipford |first2=Heather Richter}}</ref> One such example is that of user login systems. When the user enters incorrect login details, the system must reply that the username and/or login is incorrect without clarifying which contains the incorrect value. By stating which of the inputs is incorrect (either the username or password), this could be used by an attacker to determine valid users on a system whom could then be targeted by [[Brute-force attack|password-guessing attacks]] or similar exploitation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nielsen |first=Jakob |title=Usability engineering |date=1993 |publisher=Academic press |isbn=978-0-12-518405-2 |location=Boston San Diego New York [etc.]}}</ref> While this may cause some annoyance to the user, the approach does offer a heightened level of security.

It wouldn't be until 1995 with the publication of "User-Centered Security"<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zurko |first1=Mary Ellen |last2=Simon |first2=Richard T. |chapter=User-centered security |date=1996 |title=Proceedings of the 1996 workshop on New security paradigms - NSPW '96 |chapter-url=http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=304851.304859 |journal=New Security Paradigms |language=en |publisher=ACM Press |pages=27–33 |doi=10.1145/304851.304859 |isbn=978-0-89791-944-9}}</ref> by Mary Ellen Zurko and Richard T. Simon, that what is now called usable security would become a distinct field of research and design. This shift largely stems from placing greater focus on [[Engineering:Usability testing|usability testing]], and ensuring that security aspects are understandable during the design and development process, rather than being added as an afterthought.

== Scientific conferences ==

Research on usable security is widely accepted by many [[Human–computer interaction#Scientific conferences|HCI]] and Cyber Security conferences, however, dedicated venues for such work include:

* EuroUSEC: European Symposium on Usable Security<ref>{{Cite web |title=EUROUSEC Conference - Home |url=https://dl.acm.org/conference/eurousec |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=ACM Digital Library |language=en}}</ref>
* HAS: International Conference on Human Aspects of Information Security, Privacy, and Trust<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Conference on Human Aspects of Information Security, Privacy, and Trust |url=https://link.springer.com/conference/has |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=link.springer.com |language=en}}</ref>
* IFIP World Conference on Information Security Education<ref>{{Cite web |title=IFIP World Conference on Information Security Education |url=https://link.springer.com/conference/wise-ifip |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=link.springer.com |language=en}}</ref>
* STAST: International Workshop on Socio-Technical Aspects in Security<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Workshop on Socio-Technical Aspects in Security |url=https://link.springer.com/conference/stast |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=link.springer.com |language=en}}</ref>
* TrustBus: International Conference on Trust and Privacy in Digital Business<ref>{{Cite web |title=                International Conference on Trust and Privacy in Digital Business |url=https://link.springer.com/conference/trustbus |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=link.springer.com |language=en}}</ref>
* USEC: Usable Security and Privacy Symposium<ref>{{Cite web |title=SOUPS Symposia {{!}} USENIX |url=https://www.usenix.org/conferences/byname/884 |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=www.usenix.org}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Information design]]
* [[Information architecture]]
* [[Secure by default]]
* [[Secure by design]]
* Software Security Assurance
* [[User-centered design]]
* [[User experience design]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Human–computer interaction]]
[[Category:Technical communication]]

{{Sourceattribution|Usable security}}