Education in information security

Abstract

The last four years have seen an explosion in the concern for information security. People are becoming aware of how much information is publicly available, as stories in the national news media discuss the ease with which hackers steal identities. On a less personal note, compromises of information involving authorized access show that organizations have information security problems. With this awareness has grown an understanding of our dependence on accurate, confidential information, and of the fragility of the infrastructure we use to secure that information. Of all the questions emerging, the fundamental one is this: how can we secure information? This essay discusses different forms of education that are relevant to this problem.