In 1967—nine years before the first email would traverse the internet—a computer pioneer by the name of Willis H. Ware outlined the myriad vulnerabilities in modern computer systems and all the ways they could lead to classified information leaks or be exploited for espionage. His so-called Ware Report proved a catalyst for the Pentagon to convene a Defense Science Board task force to study computer security. That task force came to several ominous conclusions, chief among them: “Contemporary technology cannot provide a secure system in an open environment.”
