Security Through Obscurity (STO): History, Criticism & Risks
The concept of security through obscurity (STO) relies on the idea that a system can remain secure if the vulnerabilities are secret or hidden. If an attacker does not know what the weaknesses are, they cannot exploit them. The flip side is that once that vulnerability is exposed, it is no longer secure. It is commonly held that security through obscurity is only effective if used as one layer of security and not as the entire security system. STO is a controversial topic in the IT world. On its own, it is an ineffective security measure.
What is security through obscurity?
Obscurity means unknown. Security through obscurity seeks to keep a system secure