What is security research and security engineering?

Every single time a computer attack of some kind happens, the media and commentators throw a lot of terms around. However, the fundamental understanding of these terms is often lacking. Because of this, it becomes hard for the general public to actually get a good understanding for what computer security is really all about. This is more complicated because the field is quite large and there are many specialities. Suffice to say, we don’t all do the same thing, and mixing up these terms can sometimes have a problematic impact on reputation or even legal investigations. Most professions have these kinds of distinctions, but for an architect or electrician, these distinctions doesn’t really make it into the public conscience. However, because of how computers impact everything we do, these specialities related to computer security - and the confusion about them - is more important to clarify, than those for most other professions.