Publisher's Synopsis
Computers can, and do, go wrong. The growing social importance of "computer" systems - from automatic lift control to expanding military systems - makes computer safety and security a major concern for everyone, and not just for the computer specialist.;This book discusses the various types of inadvertent and deliberate threats to the efficient working of computer systems. Problems in achieving "correct" software are emphasized, and attention given to current efforts to penetrate the security of computer-based facilities. Examples are given of computer disasters, hacking activity and computer viruses.;Particular instances, in different social areas, of where computer failure has threatened human life are cited. The growing reliance on computers in important applications is emphasized. It is shown that computer failure can cause minor irritation at one extreme, the extinction of the human race at the other. A prime requirement, in the modern world, is for safe computing.
