Everyone is going to know the nature of the word security, and understand that it refers to the means of keeping a possession safe from either being damaged, harmed, or taken from you. But the term ‘cyber’ may be a lot more of a vague one for people who hear it, with many of them saying something along the lines of ‘it’s related to computer stuff’. Well, that’s partly true, but there’s a whole lot more to it, and to understanding what is cyber security.

So we will get to what is cyber security, but in the interest of keeping this as varied and engaging as possible let’s first look at where that term – cyber – comes from. There’s actually a lot behind that, but we’ll keep it simple to say that the word cyber comes from ‘cybernetics’.

It was nearly some 70 years ago – in the late 1940s – that cybernetics was the name given to a new field of study, one for control systems and communications between people and machines. Today, cybernetics has become a trans-disciplinary approach to regulatory systems with influences in system and organizational theory.

Alright, so now we know more about where the name came from. But that still doesn’t provide any sort of clarity on exactly what is cyber security.

Security – of the ‘Cyber’ Variety

The most ubiquitous form of security in its most general sense is the lock. Seeing as how we’ve started all this by being very focused on words, we can do the same thing for the word lock. Like many words it can stand as either a noun – invest in a good lock for that expensive new bicycle of yours – or a verb – don’t forget to lock the door before you go out.

Now in either of those instances you’re doing one of two things; preventing theft of your belonging, or preventing unauthorized access to your property.

Now we’ll ask you to go back to that vague and very formative understanding of everything that’s ‘cyber’. Meaning it’s ‘related to computer stuff’. Yes, it goes a lot deeper than that but it’s going to be helpful to take this more simple and indeterminate look at it. If we’re going lay out what is cyber security in the simplest of definitions.

What cyber security does is prevent theft of belongings or unauthorized access to property that exists inanimately, and in the digital real of the World Wide Web as it’s increasingly used these days. But the thing is this – as much as it would be nice if all that was needed was to put a ‘lock’ on these virtual access points, that’s just not the way it works.

Effective cyber security requires a much more than a virtual padlock and key.

Exactly What is Cyber Security

Cyber security is the protection of internet-connected systems  from cyber threats, and these systems may be composed of any combination of hardware, software or data that require protection from cyber threats. The majority of interests for individuals and enterprises utilizing cyber security measures is to protect against unauthorized access to data centers and other computerized systems.

It’s true that quality and reliable cyber security comes at a cost, and good cyber security is not inexpensive. But for anyone questioning whether such an expense is necessary, have a look at the biggest cyber crimes and data breaches in North America to date. It’s clear to see how these cyber attacks resulted in MAJOR losses for these companies.

Plus the added expense of recovery with putting effective cyber security measures in place. Ones that would have prevented these very damaging attacks in the first place! If we can say one thing about what is cyber security, it will be that it should be a priority for any business.

The goal of implementing cyber security is to provide solid security measures for computers, servers, networks, mobile devices and the data stored on them that thwarts the efforts of attackers.

Specific Security Aims – With Concrete Steps 

There are different types of cyber security in a continuously changing field. You may have an understanding of what is cyber security, and may even have already made moves to bolster yourself. However, even small organizations still have to concern themselves with security breaches, as they are more likely ones to be the target of viruses and phishing.

To protect organizations, employees and individuals, the advice is to implement cyber security tools, while continually updating systems as technologies evolve.

Types of Cyber Security

What is cyber security? Well, it depends on what’s being protected. There are 5 main types of cyber security:

1. Critical Infrastructure Security

Cyber-physical systems that modern societies rely on with relation to public infrastructure.

Having the infrastructure of them on the internet creates vulnerability to cyber attacks.

2. Application Security

Application security uses software and hardware methods to tackle external threats that can arise in the development stage of an application. This is even more important when they are accessible over networks.

3. Network Security

What is cyber security when it comes to network security – it is guarding against unauthorized intrusion of your internal networks due to malicious intent, protecting the integrity of infrastructure function.

4. Cloud Security

Cloud security is software-based security that protects and monitors the data in your cloud resources. Cloud providers are constantly building new security tools to help enterprise users better secure their data.

5. Internet of Things (IoT) Security

IoT refers to a wide variety of critical and non-critical cyber physical systems, like appliances, sensors, televisions, wifi routers, printers, and security cameras, and IoT cyber security is protection against anyone getting unauthorized access to these physical systems.

At SecureTab, cyber security is  the entirety of what we do. The enthusiasm we have for advances in the field is a big part of what makes us work as hard as we do to be one of the best cyber security service providers in Canada.