diff --git a/docs/blueprints.rst b/docs/blueprints.rst
index 9ede8d07..bb8857de 100644
--- a/docs/blueprints.rst
+++ b/docs/blueprints.rst
@@ -38,12 +38,12 @@ djangorestframework-api-key
 ---------------------------
 
 Since `djangorestframework-api-key <https://github.com/florimondmanca/djangorestframework-api-key>`_ has
-not entry in ``authentication_classes``, `drf-spectacular` does not pick up this library. To alleviate
+no entry in ``authentication_classes``, `drf-spectacular` cannot pick up this library. To alleviate
 this shortcoming, you can manually add the appropriate security scheme.
 
-.. note:: The usage of ``APPEND_COMPONENTS`` and ``SECURITY`` is discouraged, unless there are special
-  circumstances like here for example. They apply globally and additional local ``security`` sections
-  silently override the global ``security`` section.
+.. note:: Usage of the ``SECURITY`` setting is discouraged, unless there are special circumstances
+  like here for example. For almost all cases ``OpenApiAuthenticationExtension`` is strongly preferred,
+  because ``SECURITY`` will get appended to every endpoint in the schema regardless of effectiveness.
 
 .. code:: python
 
diff --git a/drf_spectacular/openapi.py b/drf_spectacular/openapi.py
index c8c8a0cb..4ff43f98 100644
--- a/drf_spectacular/openapi.py
+++ b/drf_spectacular/openapi.py
@@ -224,6 +224,9 @@ def get_auth(self):
             )
             self.registry.register_on_missing(component)
 
+        if spectacular_settings.SECURITY:
+            auths.extend(spectacular_settings.SECURITY)
+
         perms = [p.__class__ for p in self.view.get_permissions()]
         if permissions.AllowAny in perms:
             auths.append({})
diff --git a/drf_spectacular/plumbing.py b/drf_spectacular/plumbing.py
index 234ffeb7..0d670cc4 100644
--- a/drf_spectacular/plumbing.py
+++ b/drf_spectacular/plumbing.py
@@ -325,8 +325,6 @@ def build_root_object(paths, components):
         root['info']['license'] = settings.LICENSE
     if settings.SERVERS:
         root['servers'] = settings.SERVERS
-    if settings.SECURITY:
-        root['security'] = settings.SECURITY
     if settings.TAGS:
         root['tags'] = settings.TAGS
     if settings.EXTERNAL_DOCS:
diff --git a/drf_spectacular/settings.py b/drf_spectacular/settings.py
index 71e6f392..2a35cc63 100644
--- a/drf_spectacular/settings.py
+++ b/drf_spectacular/settings.py
@@ -38,12 +38,13 @@
 
     # Append OpenAPI objects to path and components in addition to the generated objects
     'APPEND_PATHS': {},
+    'APPEND_COMPONENTS': {},
 
-    # DEPRECATED - please don't use this anymore as it has tricky implications that
+    # DISCOURAGED - please don't use this anymore as it has tricky implications that
     # are hard to get right. For authentication, OpenApiAuthenticationExtension are
     # strongly preferred because they are more robust and easy to write.
-    'APPEND_COMPONENTS': {},
-    'SECURITY': None,
+    # However if used, the list of methods is appended to every endpoint in the schema!
+    'SECURITY': [],
 
     # Postprocessing functions that run at the end of schema generation.
     # must satisfy interface result = hook(generator, request, public, result)
diff --git a/tests/test_regressions.py b/tests/test_regressions.py
index 13875de3..937c1a18 100644
--- a/tests/test_regressions.py
+++ b/tests/test_regressions.py
@@ -1007,3 +1007,24 @@ class XViewset(viewsets.ReadOnlyModelViewSet):
     substitution = schema['components']['schemas']['PaginatedXList']
     assert substitution['type'] == 'object'
     assert substitution['properties']['results']['items']['$ref'] == '#/components/schemas/X'
+
+
+@mock.patch(
+    'drf_spectacular.settings.spectacular_settings.SECURITY',
+    [{'apiKeyAuth': []}]
+)
+@mock.patch(
+    'drf_spectacular.settings.spectacular_settings.APPEND_COMPONENTS',
+    {"securitySchemes": {"apiKeyAuth": {"type": "apiKey", "in": "header", "name": "Authorization"}}}
+)
+def test_manual_security_method_addition(no_warnings):
+    @extend_schema(responses=OpenApiTypes.FLOAT)
+    @api_view(['GET'])
+    def view_func(request, format=None):
+        pass  # pragma: no cover
+
+    schema = generate_schema('/x/', view_function=view_func)
+    operation_security = schema['paths']['/x/']['get']['security']
+    schema_security = schema['components']['securitySchemes']
+    assert len(operation_security) == 4 and any(['apiKeyAuth' in os for os in operation_security])
+    assert len(schema_security) == 3 and 'apiKeyAuth' in schema_security