Complexity Is the Enemy

  • Authors:
  • Daniel E. Geer Jr.

  • Affiliations:
  • In-Q-Tel

  • Venue:
  • IEEE Security and Privacy
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

Dan Geer expounds on complexity, defining it as the density of feedback loops. Nature is an existence proof that complexity isn't the enemy of life, but complexity is the enemy of stasis. Our problem is that we've pretty much equated security with stasis, and it's slowly getting us into trouble. In the financial world, like in our world, there's zero doubt that we humans can build a system more complex than we can understand, much less control, to the point of no surprises. The same is true in the digital world.