Before analysing the differences between computer security, information security and cybersecurity, let us briefly define these three concepts.
What are cybersecurity, information security and computer security?
Let’s find out what the main characteristics of each of these security-related terms are.
Cybersecurity: what is it?
Cybersecurity refers to the set of strategies and tools aimed at protecting computer equipment, servers, mobile devices, electronic equipment, networks and data from possible attacks by cybercriminals.
It aims to both prevent and repel attacks with malicious intent, from attempting to introduce viruses to gaining access to data.
Cybersecurity is critical for businesses for a number of reasons, the most important of which are economic and reputational.
What is information security?
On the other hand, we could define information security as the tools and procedures that seek to protect confidential information from a physical and environmental perspective, from access control to cybersecurity.
Thus, information security concerns different areas, based on the fact that information can be stored, processed and transmitted in different ways: electronically, verbally, or by means of printed or written messages.
Thus, protecting a filing cabinet with documents inside it as well as electronic databases are all part of information security.
What is information security?
Finally, computer security refers to the discipline whose purpose is to protect the integrity and privacy of the information stored in the computer system against cybercriminals, who aspire to gain access to this information and even profit from it once they have gained access to it.
Differences between cybersecurity, computer security and information security
Now that we are clear on what each of these three terms is, let’s look at the main differences between them:
- The first difference lies in the scope of action. Information security has a broader scope than computer security and cybersecurity, as its main objective is to protect information from potential threats that may occur in different formats, including the physical world. Cybersecurity, on the other hand, refers to information in digital format, while computer security refers to computer systems.
- Perhaps where there is most confusion, if only because of the similarities in name, is between information security and computer security, with the shared trait of referring to the protection of information. Information security is about the protection of information within organisations, including data ranging from customer data to internal data. Information security, on the other hand, is related to the protection of computer systems, including mobile and other devices, servers, networks and computers.
- On the other hand, cybersecurity is in a permanent state of transformation due to the speed of technological advances and possible digital threats, which is why being up to date in this area is of paramount importance.
Conclusion
By way of summary, we could conclude that these three terms are of great importance for security and data protection.
Broadly speaking, we could define the functions of each of them as the protection of computer systems and networks (cybersecurity), the protection of the data itself (information security) and the protection of devices and appliances (computer security).
To put it graphically, some experts explain that information security is the book and cybersecurity is one of the main chapters.
Thus, while information security protects information systems, cybersecurity protects information in the digital environment and computer security, on the other hand, focuses on protecting computer systems.
