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Bruce Schneier

Bruce Schneier Quotes

Cryptographer

Bruce Schneier is a renowned cryptographer known for his contributions to the field of cybersecurity. Born on January 15, 1963, he has been active at the forefront of cryptography and security research since the 1980s. Schneier's work covers a wide range of topics from encryption technology to cybersecurity strategies.

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Famous Bruce Schneier Quotes

“Microsoft made a big deal about Windows NT getting a C2 security rating. They were much less forthcoming with the fact that this rating only applied if the computer was not attached to a network and had no network card, and had its floppy drive epoxied shut, and was running on a Compaq 386. Solaris's C2 rating was just as silly.”

Ifs Made Facts Bigs Running Deals Security Computer Window Silly Cards Big Deal Microsoft Rating Forthcoming Solaris

Author:Bruce Schneier

“The user's going to pick dancing pigs over security every time.”

Security Picks Dancing Users Pigs

Author:Bruce Schneier

“If someone steals your password, you can change it. But if someone steals your thumbprint, you can't get a new thumb. The failure modes are very different.”

Ifs Different Security Stealing Thumbs Passwords Thumbprints

Author:Bruce Schneier

“The mantra of any good security engineer is: "Security is a not a product, but a process." It's more than designing strong cryptography into a system; it's designing the entire system such that all security measures, including cryptography, work together.”

Together Strong Process Security Design Products Including Working Together Engineers Mantras Cryptography Security Measures

Author:Bruce Schneier

“The whole notion of passwords is based on an oxymoron. The idea is to have a random string that is easy to remember. Unfortunately, if it's easy to remember, it's something nonrandom like 'Susan.' And if it's random, like 'r7U2*Qnp,' then it's not easy to remember.”

Ifs Ideas Whole Remember Easy Security Notion Strings Oxymoron Passwords

Book:Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked world

Source: Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked world

“History has taught us: never underestimate the amount of money, time, and effort someone will expend to thwart a security system. It's always better to assume the worst. Assume your adversaries are better than they are. Assume science and technology will soon be able to do things they cannot yet. Give yourself a margin for error. Give yourself more security than you need today. When the unexpected happens, you'll be glad you did.”

“Given the credible estimate that we've spent $1 trillion on anti-terrorism security”

Given Social Security Philosophical Terrorism Credible Anti Terrorism

Author:Bruce Schneier

“People don't understand computers. Computers are magical boxes that do things. People believe what computers tell them.”

People Believe Magic Computer Boxes

Book:Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked world

Source: Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked world

“For if we are observed in all matters, we are constantly under threat of correction, judgment, criticism, even plagiarism of our own uniqueness. We become children, fettered under watchful eyes, constantly fearful that-either now or in the uncertain future-patterns we leave behind will be brought back to implicate us, by whatever authority has now become focused upon our once-private and innocent acts. We lose our individuality, because everything we do is observable and recordable.”

“I am regularly asked what the average Internet user can do to ensure his security. My first answer is usually 'Nothing; you're screwed'.”

Firsts Can Do Answers Security Internet Computer Average Users Euthanasia Internet Users

Author:Bruce Schneier

“It is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday facilitate a police state.”

States Poor Technology Police Someday Civics Facilitate Police State Hygiene Software Design Personal Hygiene

Book:Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked world

Source: Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked world

“There are two types of encryption: one that will prevent your sister from reading your diary and one that will prevent your government.”

Two Government Reading Type Diaries Sister Encryption

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Terrorists can only take my life. Only my government can take my freedom.”

Government Liberty Terrorist

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Terrorism isn't a crime against people or property. It's a crime against our minds, using the death of innocents and destruction of property to make us fearful. Terrorists use the media to magnify their actions and further spread fear. And when we react out of fear, when we change our policy to make our country less open, the terrorists succeed -- even if their attacks fail. But when we refuse to be terrorized, when we're indomitable in the face of terror, the terrorists fail -- even if their attacks succeed.”

People Ifs Mind Country Use Action Faces Failing Media Crime Policy Succeed Destruction Property Terror Refuse Spread Terrorism Terrorist Our Country Fearful Indomitable

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Something that looks like a protocol but does not accomplish a task is not a protocol—it’s a waste of time.”

Looks Doe Waste Tasks Accomplish Wasting Time Protocol

Book:Applied cryptography: protocols, algorithms, and source code in C

Source: Applied cryptography: protocols, algorithms, and source code in C

“More people are killed every year by pigs than by sharks, which shows you how good we are at evaluating risk.”

People Years Shows Risk Pigs Sharks

Book:Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World

Source: Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World

“No one can duplicate the confidence that RSA offers after 20 years of cryptanalytic review.”

Years Confidence Offers Reviews Duplicate

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Digital files cannot be made uncopyable, any more than water can be made not wet.”

Made Water Digital Wet Files

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Chaos is hard to create, even on the Internet. Here's an example. Go to Amazon.com. Buy a book without using SSL. Watch the total lack of chaos.”

Book Hard Watches Example Internet Chaos Amazon

Author:Bruce Schneier

“When my mother gets a prompt 'Do you want to download this?' she's going to say yes. It's disingenuous for Microsoft to give you all of these tools with which to hang yourself, and when you do, then say it's your fault.”

Want Giving Mother Tools Faults Microsoft Prompts Downloads Disingenuous

Author:Bruce Schneier

“This is not the internet the world needs, or the internet its creators envisioned. We need to take it back. And by we, I mean the engineering community.”

World Needs Mean Community Internet Creator Engineering

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Buy American Doesn’t Sell Well Anymore Because It Means Give A Copy To The NSA”

Giving Wells Mean Sells Copies Nsa

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Don't make the mistake of thinking you're Facebook's customer, you're not - you're the product.”

Thinking Mistake Products Customers

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Microsoft knows that reliable software is not cost effective. According to studies, 90% to 95% of all bugs are harmless. They're never discovered by users, and they don't affect performance. It's much cheaper to release buggy software and fix the 5% to 10% of bugs people find and complain about.”

People Knows Learning Study Cost Performances Complaining Release Programming Software Users Bugs Microsoft Cheaper

Author:Bruce Schneier

“ID can be hijacked, and cards can be faked. All of the 9/11 terrorists had fake IDs, yet they still got on the planes. If the British national ID card can't be faked, it will be the first on the planet.”

Ifs Firsts Stills Planets British Terrorist Cards Planes Fake

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Privacy is a fundamental human need.”

Needs Humans Fundamentals Privacy Human Needs

Author:Bruce Schneier

“Security is a process, not a product.”

Process Security Products

Book:Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked world

Source: Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked world

“I tell people: if it's in the news, don't worry about it, because by definition, news is something that almost never happens.”

People Ifs Happens Worry News Definitions

Author:Bruce Schneier

About the Author

Born: January 15, 1963
Known for: Cryptographer
Quotes: 78

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Security Ifs People Computer Surveillance Terrorism Terrorist Cryptography Internet Needs

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Books & Sources

Secrets and lies: digital security in a networked worldRelated source material

Applied cryptography: protocols, algorithms, and source code in CRelated source material

Bruce Schneier on Trust SetRelated source material

Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain WorldRelated source material

Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to ThriveRelated source material

Schneier on SecurityRelated source material

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