What is the difference between information security and cybersecurity?

Despite their similarities, there's a difference between the terms "Cyber Security" and "Information Security." Both relate to computer system security and safeguarding against information breaches and threats, but they differ as well. One deals with protecting data over the internet, while the other is concerned with data protection in general. To fully understand the distinction between Cyber Security and Information Security, it's important to comprehend what each is and how they relate to each other.

Cyber Security:

This is security related to protecting against potential external and internal threats online. Cybersecurity specialists work on safeguarding desktop computers or mobile devices from any form of attacks, breaches, or threats that might occur through servers. They ensure that only authorized individuals can access that information. For instance, someone might access another person's computer or smartphone, install malicious software, copy or modify the data.

If someone manages to breach another company's network worldwide, compromising their system, this company would need to enhance its cybersecurity. In this scenario, weak cybersecurity necessitates reinforcement. Therefore, the purpose of this security type lies in shielding against external sources.

Information Security:

Information security is concerned with protecting everything related to information within or outside the computer and not the entire computer itself. Data is classified as information when it has meaning. Everything stored within a computer system is called data, but it doesn't become information until it's processed to make sense, whether it's in the form of a visible image, readable text, or an executable file. Information security steps in to protect it from potential external threats like theft and breaches, preventing unauthorized access. It deals with various risks that cybersecurity doesn’t guarantee protection against, so its task lies in safeguarding information wherever it exists.

What's the Difference Between Cyber Security and Information Security?

Although many believe them to be synonymous in terms of protecting information, this similarity ends here. Information doesn't need to be stored on a computer to require protection; it might exist within a file. Cybersecurity aims to protect information from external dangers and unauthorized access from outsiders, including personal data on various social media accounts. On the other hand, information security concerns itself with the secrecy, availability, and sometimes integrity of information, electronic or otherwise. Due to technology's pervasive influence, Information Security becomes its primary form to provide comprehensive technological protection for all information.

In essence, Cyber Security can be considered a subset or specialization of Information Security, both concerned with protecting data from various threats. To draw a metaphor, their difference is like that between science and chemistry.

Expected Roles in Cybersecurity:

The demand for cybersecurity and information security has surged significantly. Jobs and sectors interested in cybersecurity have increased by 91 percent globally compared to the period from 2010 to 2014, with approximately 238,158 positions listed in 2014, according to Burning Glass Technologies.

Cybersecurity jobs have grown worldwide, according to Burning Glass Technologies. Information security analysts are expected to see a 28 percent job increase during the decade 2016-2026, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• 1. Technical Information Security Specialist
• 2. Penetration Tester
• 3. Application Penetration Testing Lab
• 4. Computer Forensic Investigator
• 5. Security Sector Manager
• 6. Cybercrime Investigator/Forensic Expert in Information Security
• 7. Data Protection Officer
• 8. Ethical Hacker
• 9. Security Professional Analyst
• 10. Malware Analyst
• 11. Security Analyst
• 12. Security Engineer
• 13. Security Monitor
• 14. Network Security Engineer
• 15. Security Operations Center Analyst
• 16. Specialized Prosecutor in Information Security Crimes
• 17. Smart Security Software Developer
• 18. Vulnerability Researcher/Exploit Developer
• 19. System, Network, and Web Penetration Lab

With the internet's penetration and cloud computing's influence on the world, users, whether individuals or companies, need protection from various internal and external threats. While understanding the distinction between internet security and information security is crucial, it's equally important to provide adequate protection against threats from both types.