What Might Perfect Security Look Like?

I’ve been thinking recently about security and how it simply gets in the way of what we try to do in so many instances. Want to buy this thing? Please verify your identity, then do it again via this text message. It isn’t very pleasant, to say the least.

I am increasingly of the opinion that the most important thing we can do to improve security is to make it easier to use. If for no other reason than people don’t use things that are too complicated. Passwords should’ve gone extinct a long time ago, but here we are at the end of 2021, still using them every day.

For a moment, let’s consider how perfect security might look. I’d argue that it would be impossible to tell the difference between perfect security and no security at all in regular use. Imagine if every computer unlocked for you when you interact with it, your every online account automatically loaded, or any online purchase handled without asking a single question.

Perfect security should work in the background to handle any verification necessary without bothering the user so they cannot even tell it is happening. I don’t expect this anytime soon, but it might be good to remember now and again as a guiding star for the direction security should head.