The current issue of IEEE Computer contains an article by professor Hal Berghel (Computer Science) titled "Steampunk Security."  In it Berghel uses the phrase to designate ineffective, improvisational digital security practices currently in use. Berghel chooses to refer to the steampunk motif because some security vulnerabilities are a product of applying time-worn and out-dated practices to modern security challenges. Examples of steampunk security include the 2013 South Carolina Department of Revenue hack, the 2017 Equifax data breach, and the 2023 MGM Mirage ransomware attack.