PRESENTED IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM, ALONG WITH A DISCUSSION OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART IN COMPUTER SECURITY. AN INTERRELATED SET OF AXIOMS AND PRINCIPLES OF COMPUTER SECURITY IS OFFERED AS A STRUCTURED APPROACH TO SOLVING THE PROBLEM. ALSO INCLUDED IS A DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED WITH USING THESE AXIOMS AND PRINCIPLES IN DEVELOPING SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION, PROCUREMENT SPECIFICATIONS AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA, AND DAILY OPERATIONS. EXISTING SYSTEMS ARE ASSESSED, EMPHASIZING THE ATTAINMENT OF AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF RISK. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)