Security Brutalism Declaration

1. Visibility Over Veneer

Security must be explicit. Interfaces, mechanisms, and barriers are not hidden—they are confrontational. No soft edges. No illusions. Let the user know the system defends itself.

2. Function Dictates Form

Access controls, audits, and failure states should be seen and understood. Aesthetics follow logic, not convenience. Beauty is in the bluntness of structure.

3. Trust is Not Assumed

Zero trust is not a policy—it’s a posture. Every connection, every request, every token is interrogated. Paranoia is not a flaw; it is design.

4. Complexity is a Threat

Obscurity breeds vulnerability. Reduce. Strip down. If you cannot diagram it with a marker, it’s too fragile to secure.

5. Exposure is Strength

Surface is not a weakness. The secure system does not hide behind walls—it welcomes scrutiny. The fortress is confident enough to show its bricks.

6. Defaults Should Deny

Silence is not consent. Access must be earned, not granted by oversight. Every open door is a deliberate act, not a forgotten default.

7. Systems Must Withstand Brutality

Penetration is not hypothetical. Stress is not theoretical. Assume impact. Build for siege. Build like it’s already under attack.

8. Controls Are Cultural

Security is not a feature. It is an ethic. It is present in choices, defaults, logs, and language. It is not added; it is embedded.

9. Elegance Is Structural Honesty

A secure system does not pretend to be safe. It shows why it is. Walls are walls, not paintings. Doors are reinforced, not hidden.

10. Users Are Not The Enemy — But May Be Compromised

Design for the human, but plan for the breach. Education matters, but fallback matters more. Assume failure. Absorb it.