Security Brutalist Principles

Rowan M. asked: I know this has appeared in your blog before, but could you go a bit deeper into the principles of security brutalism?

Indeed it has, these principles are simple, but let me expand on this a little. The key principles that define security brutalism are:

Transparency and Truth in Materials: Security controls are fully exposed, understandable, and intentionally visible, allowing users and stakeholders to see exactly how protections work. Hidden complexity and obscured logic are rejected.

Honest Acknowledgment of Weaknesses: Vulnerabilities are openly identified and communicated, with no attempt at concealment. Proactive remediation and explicit disclosure are preferred over the illusion of perfection.

Simplicity and Utility: All solutions are straightforward, easily auditable, and serve a direct practical purpose. Unnecessary features, excessive layers, and decorative abstractions are minimized or eliminated.

Function Over Form: Controls prioritize robust efficacy and foundational security, not aesthetics or user convenience. Tangible protection takes precedence over smooth user experience or elegant design.

Resilience through Redundancy and Hardening: Architectures are intentionally hardened and built to withstand failures, with self-healing mechanisms and rigid fault tolerance. The security baseline is uncompromising and strictly enforced.

Explicit and Aggressive Access Controls: Strict password policies, rigorous multi-factor authentication, and the principle of least privilege are applied directly and unapologetically, regardless of friction introduced.

Raw Exposure of Threat Intelligence: Real-time logs, threat reports, and response plans are openly accessible, enabling rapid detection and response to incidents.

Aggressive Incident Response: Preplanned, harsh containment measures are employed during breaches, focusing on isolating threats rather than prioritizing continuity or convenience.

Mastery of Fundamentals: The doctrine concentrates on the absolute security essentials - robust authentication, strict configuration, and continuous improvement - while disdainful of maturity models or superficial enhancements.

In essence, security brutalism is about designing direct, uncompromising, and resilient security, where everything is exposed, simple, and strictly functional, creating robust defenses that are easy to understand and hard to circumvent.