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In some regions of Spain, Easter Week (‘Semana Santa’) is a very special time.

There are processions in many towns and cities, where local brotherhoods wearing traditional robes solemnly traverse the streets.

Here is a photo that I took of one of the processions near Malaga last week.

Semana Santa procession near Malaga in April 2023

You cannot blame an outsider for seeing these robes and hoods (‘capirotes’), and immediately thinking this must have some sort of connection with an American right-wing white-supremacist group.

But it couldn’t be further from the truth*.

What has this got to do with cybersecurity?**

On the surface, two things may appear to mean the same thing.

But they could mean very different things.

For example..

A security measure being enabled [versus] enforced***.

Or your IT people reassuring you that “everything is grand” [versus] an independent third-party checking that it is.

 

 

* This National Geographic article explains the local traditions in Seville.

** I’ll admit, this one is a bit of a stretch, but stick with me!

*** This can be a significant difference for something like Multi-Factor Authentication. ENABLED usually means someone can use MFA if they wish. ENFORCED means they must use it.