The internet has significantly changed how people do things, and social media has become the center of interaction and business worldwide. With such digital advancements, businesses must stay on the right path by solidifying their security infrastructure. The internet exposes people and businesses to vulnerabilities that may result in greater losses.
The security systems are broken down into cyber security and network security. They are two different things that beginners often confuse to be under one umbrella. Unfortunately, they are two separate entities despite having terms similar to each other. Both are concerned with protecting computer systems from information breaches and threats.
What is cyber security?
Cyber security covers all aspects of cyberspace. It intends to protect the integrity of devices, networks, and programs from damage, attacks, and unauthorized access by third parties. Cyber security involves a set of technologies and processes engineered to protect systems from potential threats. A cyber security degree online prepares learners to monitor traffic to minimize the risk of cyber-attacks while protecting firms from unauthorized system exploitation.
What is network security?
On the other hand, network security is a subset of cyber security dealing with planning and implementing network security measures to protect the network and program integrity against unauthorized access and hacking. It aims to protect IT infrastructure that can be accessed via networks.
Some of the threats protected include viruses, spamware, malware, spyware, and Trojans. Internet access, firewalls, passwords, IDs, encryption, and backup fall under network security. A network security professional secures your network by providing technical expertise, digital certificates, and intrusion detection systems.
Differences between cybersecurity and network security
Basic definition
Cyber security falls under information security and includes a set of techniques and methodologies for protecting the integrity of devices, programs, networks, and data from attack, damage, and unauthorized access. A Cyber security degree online teaches learners to protect internet-connected networks and systems from digital attacks.
Meanwhile, network security protects files and directories in a computer network against hacking, misuse, and malicious access to the systems. Networks security also falls cyber security protecting your network’s integrity and network-accessible resources.
Attack types
Although these terms are used synonymously, they differ greatly in terms of security. Network security protects the IT infrastructure in an organization from different kinds of threats. On the other hand, cyber security safeguards the organization from external threats within cyberspace. System networks and programs are protected from digital attacks like baiting, phishing, etc.
Cyber security attacks
Phishing –Phishing allows attackers to collect sensitive data like passwords, credit card details, and usernames. Hackers access information by pretending to be authorized members within a digital space.
Pretexting – Pretexting is a social engineering attack that allows a hacker to convince a victim to give up sensitive information used to access systems.
Baiting – Baiting attacks start with a false promise to make a victim curious or greedy. Cybercriminals lure their victims to a trap that gathers their private data or infects their systems with malware.
Network security attacks
Viruses – Viruses are typically computer codes that can infect a computer to corrupt and destroy them. In reality, viruses are more malicious programs that duplicate and change other programs by inserting the faulty code into the system.
Worms – A worm spreads multiple copies of itself to other computers, and it can do it without human assistance. It does not have to attach to software to cause damage.
Security professional
Cyber security professionals or analysts take full responsibility for protecting network infrastructure and linked systems through expertise, firewalls, database knowledge, encryption, and internet security. A cyber security professional is an expert on protection, detection, and recovery.
Their main task is to monitor incoming and outgoing traffic and work with various departments to coordinate risk management techniques and tools. Alternatively, a network security professional revolves around protecting an organization’s IT infrastructure, including financial information, information sets, and other information.
Extension
Cyber security defends the entire digital data within a company and covers all servers and devices belonging to the company. It extends further to protect anything within the cyber realm. Unlike cyber security, network security provides limited protection because it only focuses on protecting transit data. It extends to safeguard everything within the network. This explains why network security is under cyber security and not the other way round.
Hierarchy
Cybersecurity operates under the major information security domain, and network security is a sub-unit under this field. Network security, on the other hand, falls under cybersecurity but fully operates on its own without any further classifications