syssec_red_book

10.7. Example Problemsof value for many users. Again, this narrow field would certainly be suitablefor consideration in the course of a thesis.10.7.3 Sensitive InformationPart of the above incident was caused by sensitive information (in this casecredit card numbers) being shown on Amazon’s account detail. The last fourdigits are deemed insensitive by Amazon. However, Apple uses just these fournumbers to prove one’s identity. This connection is simply impossible to seefor an ordinary user. Thus, information propagation through different, securedsystems is another field where research could attempt to create transparentsolutions.Summing up, the threat from unusable security may not be a direct, immediateone, but it is there nevertheless. As security researchers, we are thereforeobliged to develop our systems, not only with the basic concept in mind, butwith a broader view that also considers the users who actually have to dealwith it. Several of these shortcomings are intertwined with sociological andpsychological aspects, calling for interdisciplinary research to create usablesolutions.79