Word.ws English Dictionary

security by obscurity

security by obscurity is the alternative form of security through obscurity.

Meaning of security through obscurity

Phrase

security through obscurity

  1. (computer security) The habit or practice of relying on a potential attacker's lack of knowledge will maintain security.
    • This security through obscurity proved adequate for our prototype, but it was unacceptable for a turnin service in wide use.1990, W Cattey, The Evolution of turnin A Classroom Oriented File Exchange Service, USENIX Summer Conference

Questions about security by obscurity

What is security by obscurity the alternative form of?
Security by obscurity is the alternative form of security through obscurity.

Words near security by obscurity in the dictionary

  1. security barrier
  2. security barriers
  3. security blanket
  4. security blankets
  5. security by design
  6. security by obscurity
  7. security cam
  8. security camera
  9. security cameras
  10. security chain
  11. security chains

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: security by obscurity (page history and authors); security through obscurity (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “security by obscurity.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/security_by_obscurity. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.