By restricting others' freedom to act, security serves as protection from or resilience against potential

harm (or other unwanted coercive) caused by others. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security
may include individuals and social groups, things and institutions, ecosystems, or any other thing or
phenomenon that is susceptible to unwelcome change. In 2015, Spanish volunteers helped refugees
fleeing war and instability in Iraq and Syria reach Lesbos Island. While security is typically associated
with protection from hostile forces, it also has a wide variety of other meanings. For instance, it can
mean the absence of harm (e. g. freedom from want; as well as the presence of an essential good (e. g.
food security); as resistance to harm or potential damage (e. g. secure bases; as confidentiality (e. g. a
secure phone line); as containment (e. g. a safe space like a cell or room); and as a mindset (e. g. the
safety of the heart). The phrase is also used to describe systems and actions that could be used to
provide security (security firm, security forces, security guard, cyber security tools, security cameras,
remote guarding). Physical and virtual security are both possible.

Perceptions of security vary, frequently significantly, because it is impossible to determine precisely how
"secure" something is (and a degree of vulnerability is inevitable). [3][17] For instance, Americans often
worry about dying in an earthquake, but more people die from slipping on the bathroom floor; [17] and
in France, the UK, and the US, terrorism claims far fewer lives than domestic violence against women.
Another issue with perception is the widespread belief that security is automatically implied by the mere
existence of a security system (such as the military or antivirus software). For instance, despite the user
believing they are getting twice the protection that a single program would provide, two computer
security programs installed on the same device can interfere with one another's ability to function
properly. A crucial term for actions that alter security perceptions without necessarily changing security
itself is "security theater.". Intruders may be deterred by visual indicators of security measures, such as
a house that advertises its alarm system, whether or not the system actually works. Similar to this,
whether or not it reduces the risk of additional attacks, the increased military presence in a city's streets
following a terrorist attack may help to reassure the populace.

Various security-related concepts are common.

Access control refers to the deliberate limiting of access to a space or other resource.

Confidence that a security measure will work as expected is expressed through assurance.

Authorization is the process of defining access rights and privileges to resources pertaining to
information security, computer security, and access control in particular.

•Cipher - an algorithm that specifies a series of actions to encrypt or decrypt information in such a way
as to render it unintelligible.

•Countermeasure - a technique for preventing a system or act from having the intended impact.

•Defense in depth: This school of thought contends that adding more security measures will make
people feel safer.

•Exploit (noun) - a technique for taking advantage of a security system's (typically a cyber-security
system's) vulnerability.
•Identity management enables the appropriate people to access the appropriate resources at the
appropriate times and for the appropriate purposes.

Passwords are private information, usually a string of characters, that are used to verify a user's identity.

The capacity of an individual, community, country, or system to withstand harmful external forces is
known as resilience.

•Risk - a potential occurrence that could cause harm, loss, or damage.

•Security management involves the identification of an organization's assets, such as its people,
buildings, machines, systems, and information assets, as well as the creation, documentation, and
implementation of policies and procedures for safeguarding those assets.

Threat: a possible cause of harm.

•Vulnerability - the extent to which something could be influenced (usually negatively) by outside
forces.