Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity

What is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity, Computer Security, Electronic Information Security or IT Security is a set of techniques for the protection of computer systems, their hardware, software or electronic data, as well as, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, and networks from disruption, misdirection, unauthorized access, modification,or malicious attacks of the services they provide.

There are hundreds of job titles in cyber security, but some of the top positions include:

Chief information security officer.
Security Analyst.
Incident responder.
Security Engineer.
Computer forensics expert.
Security Architect.
Penetration tester.
Security Administrator.
Security Software Developer.
Cryptographer.
Cryptanalyst.
Security Consultant.

Some helpful terms:

Asset- Something of value to a person, business or organization.

Attack- An attempt to gain unauthorized access to system services, resources, or information, or an attempt to compromise system integrity.

Firewall- Hardware or software designed to prevent unauthorised access to a computer or network from another computer or network.

Hacker- Someone who violates computer security for malicious reasons, kudos or personal gain.

Proxy server- Server that acts as an intermediary between users and others servers, validating user requests.

Risk- Something that could cause an organization not to meet one of its objectives.

Security control- Something that modifies or reduces one or more security risks.

Threat- Something that could cause harm to a system or organization.

Vulnerability- A flaw or weakness that can be used to attack a system or organization.

Common Threats include:

Phishing
Trojans
Botnets
Ransomware
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
Wiper Attacks
Spyware/Malware
Man in the Middle (MITM)
Drive-By Downloads
Malvertising
Rogue and Unpatched Software

Major Elements in Cybersecurity include:

Software security

Application Security

Information Security

Network Security

Disaster recovery

End-User Education

Next lesson Software Security