security

1. The prevention of and protection against assault, damage, fire, fraud, invasion of privacy, theft, unlawful entry, and other such occurrences caused by deliberate action. See also safety.

2. Computing: The extent to which a computer system is protected from data corruption, destruction, interception, loss, or unauthorized access. See also secure system.

3. Finance: A financing or investment instrument issued by a company or government agency that denotes an ownership interest and provides evidence of a debt, a right to share in the earnings of the issuer, or a right in the distribution of a property. Securities include bonds, debentures, notes, options, shares, and warrants but not insurance policies, and may be traded in financial markets such as stock exchanges.

4. Banking: An asset pledged to guaranty the repayment of a loan, satisfaction of an obligation, or in compliance of an agreement. Security gives a lender or obligee a legal right of access to the pledged asset and to take their possession and title in case of default for a foreclosure sale.