GrowingSecurity failures are inevitable. Credentials leak. Dependencies are compromised. Humans make mistakes.
The real goal of security is not prevention, but containment. When something fails, how much damage can it do?
Security is a system property, not a layer. It emerges from architecture, permissions, observability, and defaults. Least privilege is effective precisely because it limits damage even when controls fail.
Some security heuristics worth remembering:
- Every credential will leak eventually
- Every input is hostile until proven otherwise
- Logs are sensitive data
- Dependencies expand your attack surface
- Silence is a security failure
Security has a human side. Overly restrictive systems encourage workarounds. Simple, clear mechanisms are followed more reliably than complex policies. This ties security closely to [[API Design]] and developer experience.
Observability matters as much for security as for [[Performance]]. You cannot respond to incidents you cannot see.
Perfect security does not exist. Thoughtful security assumes compromise and plans recovery.
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