Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or
other unwanted coercion) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of
others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of
persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems or any other
entity or phenomenon vulnerable to unwanted change.
Security mostly refers to protection from hostile forces, but it has a wide
range of other senses: for example, as the absence of harm (e.g. freedom from
want); as the presence of an essential good (e.g. food security); as
resilience against potential damage or harm (e.g. secure foundations); as
secrecy (e.g. a secure telephone line); as containment (e.g. a secure room or
cell); and as a state of mind (e.g.