While the term security encompasses both cybersecurity and data security, the distinction between the three is quite important, especially in cyber services. To make an informed decision when choosing your security provider or consultant, you should understand those differences fully. We have created this guide with that in mind, and we shall strive to make the characteristics of all three as straightforward as possible. Without further ado, let us begin with the most general of them – security.
What Is IT Security?
If we were to look for the textbook definition of this term, it would go as follows: freedom from or resilience against potential harm caused by others. However, in the IT context, security means the defense of any and all digital information, as well as IT assets against internal and external threats. There are various defenses, such as detection, prevention, and responding to possible attacks over security policies, software tools, and IT services. Having security is essential for any company, business, or government figure, as weak security can compromise systems and/ or data. Moreover, substantial financial penalties can happen if a company doesn’t meet the regulated security standards and laws.
IT Security concepts and principles
IT security is a broad concept, as it covers a lot of areas with a variety of ideas and different principles. The two primary security concepts and principles are Defense-in-depth and Least privilege. Defense in depth is a strategy based on military principles, and it uses layered defensive mechanisms to defend private information. It is usually performed by creating intentionally redundant security control layers and placing them throughout an information technology system so that if one mechanism fails, another can step in. On the other hand, Least privilege is a principle that reinforces security by simply limiting user program access to only what is strictly required to perform job functions.
IT Hardware Security
This is a type of prevention aimed at personnel, hardware, software, networks, and data. It is meant to protect from physical actions, forceful intrusions, and other types of events that could easily damage your company or any other business. These damages range from natural disasters and fire, to theft and even terrorism.
Physical security regulates the accessibility to the office buildings, along with other business-related locations – for example: data centers.
A typical physical security threat is if an attacker gains entry to a building of the business in question, carrying a USB storage drive in order to copy or remove vital data. Another example of a physical security threat is that the attacker could attempt to steal hardware devices or cause physical damage to company hardware. Therefore, stable physical security is as important as any other security.
Information security
Also known as InfoSec, this type of security has various strategies you can choose from to manage the tools, processes, and policies that will prevent, detect, and respond to any possible attacks. It serves to prevent unauthorized access, use, disruption, disclosure, modification, recording, inspection, or destruction of information. These attacks can be directed at both digital and non-digital information. Therefore, this is why information security spans so many research areas such as cryptography, mobile computing, cyber forensics, social media, and more.
What is Cybersecurity?
When processes, technology, and a group of people come together in order to protect organizations, individuals, or networks from digital attacks – that is called cybersecurity.
Defending devices like computers and networks, as well as sensitive data from any possible attacks.
Application security
This refers to security measures at the level of applications, preventing access by malicious entities and protecting them from being modified, stolen, or their data deleted. It encompasses the security considerations that happen during application development and design, but it also involves systems and approaches to protect apps after they are deployed. Application security may include hardware, software, and procedures that identify or minimize security vulnerabilities.
This type of protection makes use of various software, hardware, and policies. These are also called ‘common countermeasures’, including app firewalls, encryption programs, patch management, and authentication systems.
Cloud security
Cloud Security is a set of policies and technologies specifically designed to protect sensitive data and the infrastructure involved in a cloud computing environment. The main concerns to address for cloud security are identity and access management, as well as data privacy. To be more specific, cloud security protects data stored online (using cloud computing platforms) from leakage, theft, and deletion. Methods of ensuring cloud security include firewalls, regular penetration testing, tokenization, obfuscation, and virtual private networks (VPNs), as well as avoiding public internet connections. Additional measures to protect this kind of data include two-factor authorization, the use of security tokens, encryption, and firewall services, among others.
Endpoint security
Endpoint Security, or Endpoint Protection, uses machine-learning in order to detect any possible threats in real-time. It is a type of antivirus protection that is tasked with protecting, detecting, and correcting any malware that might happen across all endpoint devices. Endpoint Security protects computer networks that are remotely connected to client devices. Endpoint Security makes sure that devices such as tablets, mobile phones, I.o.T devices, laptops, and various other wireless devices all follow a definite level of compliance to standards, therefore preventing any security threats. It also extends to devices like POS terminals and bar-code readers.
Internet security
This type of security is tasked with protecting software applications, web browsers, and virtual private networks. It is meant to safeguard users from threats such as hacking into computer systems, email addresses, or websites. Furthermore, they protect against malicious software that can infect and inherently damage systems, as well as from identity theft by hackers who steal personal data such as bank account information and credit card numbers. Although the internet is primarily private and secure, it can also prove to be a vulnerable channel for exchanging information. Because there is always a high risk of intrusion by malicious hackers and cybercriminals, internet security should be a top priority for individuals and businesses alike.
Network security
Network security encompasses protecting a network infrastructure and the devices connected to it by defending against unauthorized access, modifications, and other malicious use. To be more precise, it presents a set of rules and configurations designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of data and computer networks using both software and hardware technologies. Regardless of the size, industry, or infrastructure, every business and organization requires a certain degree of network security to protect their data from the ever-growing number of cyber threats.
What Is Data Security
If implemented properly, the data security strategies will be tasked to protect an organization’s information. Data security is also responsible for protecting against unauthorized access, corruption, or theft.
Why Is Data Security Important
Data Security also protects valuable information from insider threats and human error. By involving specific tools and technologies, data security applies protection such as data masking, encryption, as well as the redaction of sensitive files. Aside from the tools it uses, it should also make reposting automatic to streamline audits and adhere to regulatory requirements.
What Is IT Security
The job of IT security revolves around keeping digital data safe from both internal and external threats, as well as technologies like computer systems and networks. While blocking hackers from approaching the organization’s data, IT Security keeps track of the integrity and confidentiality of various information.
It is one of the cybersecurity strategies, and is tasked with preventing unauthorized access to organizational devices such as computers, as well as networks and data.
Two-Factor Authentication And Endpoint Security
Two-Factor Authentication is a security system in which accessing something requires two different forms of identification—usually used to strengthen an online account’s security, a smartphone, or even a door. It does this by asking the user for the password or PIN. A code is sent to the user’s smartphone. It is only after the code is input that the user gains access.
Multi-factor Authentication is an electronic authentication method. With this method, the device in question can only be accessed over a website or application, and after enough factors are shown (two or more pieces of evidence). These pieces of evidence are something only the user knows, something only the user has, and last but not least – inherence, aka something only the user is. MFA is tasked with protecting the user’s ID details or financial assets from unknown possible attackers and thieves.
Unified Threat Management
UTM, the abbreviation for Unified Threat Management, is a security function where a single hardware or software installation presents a few security functions and options. It simplifies the information and provides a single reporting source for the security admin. This contrasts with the traditional method where the user needs to have multiple solutions for every security function. UTM appliances have been gaining popularity ever since 2009, and tend to save time on set up. Additionally, it also saves money on security personnel.
If you are interested in improving your cybersecurity, do not hesitate to head over to The i4 Group’s website and learn more about the cybersecurity services they provide.