#REDIRECT [[ Category:Human–computer interaction |#Current research]] ▼
'''HCISec''' is the study of interaction between humans and computers, or [[HCI]], specifically as it pertains to [[information security]]. Its aim, in plain terms, is to improve the [[usability]] of security features in [[end user]] applications.
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Unlike HCI, which has roots in the early days of [[Xerox PARC]] during the 1970s, HCISec is a nascent field of study by comparison. Not surprisingly, interest in this topic tracks with that of [[Internet security]], which has become an area of broad public concern only in very recent years.
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Historically, security features exhibit poor usability for reasons that include:
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* they were added in casual afterthought
* they were hastily patched in to address newly discovered [[security bug]]s
* they address very complex [[use case]]s without the benefit of a [[Wizard (software)|software wizard]]
* their interface designers lacked understanding of related security concepts
* their interface designers were not usability experts (often meaning they were the application developers themselves)
==See also==
*[[Human-computer interaction]]
==Further reading==
*[http://www.simson.net/thesis/ "Design Principles and Patterns for Computer Systems That Are Simultaneously Secure and Usable"], by [[Simson Garfinkel]]
==External links==
*[http://gaudior.net/alma/biblio.html HCISec Bibliography]
*[http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/hcisec/ HCISec] [[Yahoo! Group]]
*[http://www.usablesecurity.com Usable Security Blog]
[[Category:Human communication]]
▲[[Category:Human–computer interaction| ]]
[[Category:Computer security]]
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