Although they are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between the terms of cybersecurity and information security. They both have to do with security and protecting computer systems from information breaches and threats, but they’re also very different. One has to do with protecting data from cyberspace while the other deals with protecting data in general. To fully understand the difference between cybersecurity and information security, it’s important to first understand each of them is and what their connection is to each other.
What is Cyber Security?
Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting information and data from outside sources on the Internet. Cybersecurity professionals provide protection for networks, servers, intranets and computer systems. It also ensures that only authorized people have access to that information. In an office setting, one individual might go to another’s computer, install a flash drive and copy confidential information. This falls more under the category of information security. If someone halfway across the world manages to hack into another company’s network and breach their system, this company is in need of better cybersecurity. Here are some interesting blogs related to CyberSecurity.
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What is Information Security?
Information security is all about protecting information and information systems from unauthorized use, assess, modification or removal. It’s similar to data security, which has to do with protecting data from being hacked or stolen. Data is classified as information that means something. All information is data of some kind, but not all data is information. When certain things are stored in a computer system, they are considered data. It isn’t until it’s actually processed that it becomes information. Once it becomes information is when it needs protection from outside sources. These outside sources may not necessarily be in cyberspace.
Difference Between Cyber Security and Information Security
While many people still consider them one and the same, they’re actually different. Their capabilities are different. They both officer protection against information and data being stolen, accessed or changed, but that’s where the similarities end. The information doesn’t have to be on a computer to be in need of an information security system. Even if it’s stored in a file cabinet, it needs good information security. Cybersecurity deals with protecting data and information from outside sources in cyberspace or the Internet.
| CYBERSECURITY | INFORMATION SECURITY |
| It is the practice of protecting the data from outside the resource on the internet. | It is all about protecting information from any unauthorized users, access and data modification or removal in order to provide confidentiality, integrity, and availability. |
| It is about the ability to protect the use of cyberspace from cyber attacks. | It deals with the protection of data from any form of threat. |
| Cybersecurity to protect anything in the cyber realm. | Information security is for information irrespective of the realm. |
| Cybersecurity deals with danger against cyberspace. | Information security deals with the protection of data from any form of threat. |
| Cybersecurity strikes against Cybercrimes, cyber frauds, and law enforcement. | Information security strives against unauthorized access, disclosure modification, and disruption. |
| On the other hand cybersecurity professionals with cybersecurity deal with advanced persistent threats. | Information security professionals are the foundation of data security and security professionals associated with it prioritize resources first before dealing with threats. |
| It deals with threats that may or may not exist in the cyber realm such as protecting your social media account, personal information, etc. | It deals with information Assets and integrity confidentiality and availability. |