Gene Spafford - Purdue University

Students: Spring 2026, unless noted otherwise, sessions will be virtual on Zoom.

Politics, Economics, and Security

Nov 18, 1995

Abstract

This talk will be about how otherwise questionable security decisions are forced by political or economic considerations. As examples, we will look at two network configurations where security considerations are being dominated by other reasons. In one, failure may result in grave national harm, including (possibly) the death of people; the second network is one where hundreds of millions of dollars of damage can be wrought if sensitive information is compromised by one of the parties with access to the network.

About the Speaker

Dr. Eugene Spafford is a Distinguished Professor with an appointment in Computer Science at Purdue University, where he has served on the faculty since 1987. He is also a professor of Philosophy (courtesy), a professor of Communication (courtesy), a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (courtesy), a professor of Nuclear Engineering (courtesy), and a Professor of Political Science (courtesy). He serves on several advisory and editorial boards. Spafford's current research interests are primarily in information security, computer crime investigation, and information ethics. He is generally recognized as one of the senior leaders in the field of computing.

Spaf (as he is known to his friends, colleagues, and students) is the founder and Executive Director Emeritus of the Purdue CERIAS (Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security). He was the founder and director of the (superseded) COAST Laboratory.

Ways to Watch

Watch Now!

Over 500 videos of our weekly seminar and symposia keynotes are available on our YouTube Channel. Also check out Spaf's YouTube Channel. Subscribe today!