[Chapter 3] 3.8 Simplicity
Author: D. Brent Chapman & Elizabeth D. Zwicky
Date: 1999-02-04T00:09:44Z

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| Chapter 3 Security Strategies |

## 3.8 Simplicity

Simplicity is a security strategy for two reasons. First, keeping things simple makes them easier to understand; if you don't understand something, you can't really know whether or not it's secure. Second, complexity provides nooks and crannies for all sorts of things to hide in; it's easier to secure a studio apartment than a mansion.

Complex programs have more bugs, any of which may be security problems. Even if bugs aren't in and of themselves security problems, once people start to expect a given system to behave erratically, they'll accept almost anything from it, which kills any hope of their recognizing and reporting security problems with it when these problems do arise.

3.7 Diversity of Defense |  | II. Building Firewalls