Communications security

Communications security (COMSEC) encompasses the policies, procedures and technologies used to protect information in transmission, whether that information be generated by computers or not. It complements computer security, which protects information in computers.

Many of the same criteria of information assurance apply, but not all, and there are some aspects unique to COMSEC. For example, it can be critical, especially in military contexts, to conceal the location of a radio transmitter, because the enemy may try to destroy it — and anyone around it — not just intercept its transmissions.