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I recently asked Generating secret keys with secret keys.

I didn't include any computers, networks, protocols, bits, processors, software code and the like.

Though there there happens to be a tech-related application, I wasn't interested interested in that.

I was interested in the general information security problem being solved. So the question referred to people, agents, etc., in the abstract (sort of like Bob/Mary/Alice...though the problem was somewhat different, so I naturally used different names).

I was told that I should have framed it with technology details, not "a silly story".

Was I off base in not asking about computers and software?

Is "Information Security" (in relation to this site) exclusively computers, servers, clients, and such? Should I only ask about those?

Is it okay to ask Bob/Mary/Alice questions?

2 Answers 2

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Information security, as per our scope, does not have to be about computers. (have a read of our tour pages, linked through the help button up at the top of the page)

It also includes physical security, personnel, vetting, risk, crypto, compliance, data retention, data destruction, information asset management and many more aspects of security.

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  • 2
    Death to computers!
    – this.josh
    Apr 7, 2015 at 6:34
  • Long live computers.
    – mikeazo
    Apr 8, 2015 at 19:23
  • Long live dead cryptographic computing!
    – Rushyo
    Apr 9, 2015 at 14:56
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There is nothing wrong with your question. You did cause a reaction in a minority because you used a more "fictitious narrative" than the typical Bob/Mary/Alice model, but I don't believe the reaction was warranted.

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  • The infosec part is much more than simply computers, and does encompass process, supply chain and various other aspects.
    – munchkin
    Apr 16, 2015 at 9:38

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