Appreciating the Concept of Security Engineering In the book ‘Security Engineering,' Ross Anderson does an in-depth look at the various systems that are needed to deal with either malicious behavior, mishaps or erroneous behavior. It is a field that cuts across and utilizes the expertise of other subjects such as economics, cryptography, and psychology to ensure that a well-rounded result is achieved. It is imperative to note that while the definitions of a system differ from organization to organization, the implications they have on security engineering is quite significant. In the first chapter, the author discusses four examples of environments that use security engineering; they include a home, hospitals, banks and military bases. Thus, the very processes that go towards maintaining privacy and a sense of confidentiality for people need to be up to date and adapting to the technological times to deal efficiently with any threat that may arise.

In a home setting, one of the systems used is an electronic banking system to either pay bills or monitor the status of the accounts owned by the occupants. These accounts often need encryptions to prevent theft and maintain security through determining the identity of the user. Additionally, cars often have electronic immobilizers, which send a signal to the car to authenticate its owner before it can genuinely start...

There are various technologies used to generate and maintain the fidelity of that signal and ultimately, it ensures that car thefts are kept to a minimum. Alternatively, mobile phones have become harder to clone because of the cryptography set in place by security engineers, leading to fewer bills in buying new mobile gadgets. Finally, satellite television often depends on pre-paid signal boxes which decipher the titles of the home owner’s favorite movie or show. When all these factors are combined, they offer the effect of safety and security, which under the right advice and assurance, achieves the true meaning of security engineering.
However, criminals have grown better in thinking, adapting methodologies such as phishing to gain access to people’s funds. Mostly, this is a step into the field of psychology since the offenders have to trick unknowing users to input their bank account passwords to a fake page, which allows them access to the user’s real account (Anderson, 2013). Whereas training a worker against falling for such gimmicks, addressing the common man on efficient scale is a challenge. Sometimes, there is a false sense of trust in each other which lulls the thought of theft; a vice shunned in the Bible (Exodus 22:22, The New King James Version). Whereas some may think of systems as simple machines, Ross Anderson insists…