So how would you build a computer for the boss? Obfuscation -- just hiding things through complexity -- won't work, because interested parties have a lot of time when it comes to a high-value target like Tony. Obvious encryption probably won’t work either, because knowing that passwords and keys exist is half the fight, after which one can debate the finer points of brute force versus rubber hose methods of deriving them. It's just as important to keep things simple as it is to use the right tools for the job.

At Computerworld.

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