Andrew J. Stewart’s A Vulnerable System: The History of Information Security in the Computer Age is a comprehensive review of the evolution of information security within the overall context of the remarkable level of information technological advancement in the twentieth century. Using carefully researched sources combined with an insightful analysis, Stewart takes readers on a journey through the history of safeguarding digital systems.
The book identifies the essence of vulnerability that has been inherent in computer systems since their inception. Stewart details the core challenges faced by early computer pioneers and the subsequent development of security measures as a response to emerging threats. His representation of the dynamic interplay between inexorable technological progress and the need for improvements to the protective measures needed by various constituencies is thought-provoking.
One of the book’s strengths lies in Stewart’s ability to present complex technical concepts in a digestible manner, making it accessible to...
University of California Press