Information security is concerned with ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and information systems, as well as preventing illegal access, modification, or removal. Information security (infosec) is a set of processes, technologies, and policies for preventing, detecting, documenting, and countering threats to digital and non-digital information.
Risk management and information security are handled by information security. It’s analogous to data security, which is concerned with preventing data theft or hacking. Data is a type of information that has meaning. Although all data is data of some sort, not all data is information.
Information security entails more than just protecting data from unauthorised access. The practise of preventing unauthorised access, use, disclosure, disruption, alteration, inspection, recording, or destruction of information is known as information security.
Types of Information Security
1. Application security
Application security is a broad topic that includes software flaws in web and mobile apps, as well as application programming interfaces (APIs) (APIs). These flaws can be identified in user authentication or authorisation, code and configuration integrity, and well-developed policies and procedures. Application flaws can serve as entry points for large-scale data breaches. For InfoSec, application security is a crucial aspect of the perimeter defence.
2.Cloud security
Cloud security is concerned with the development and hosting of safe applications in cloud environments, as well as the secure usage of third-party cloud apps. The term “cloud” simply refers to a programme that runs in a shared environment.
3. Cryptography
Data confidentiality and integrity are improved by encrypting data in transit and at rest. In cryptography, digital signatures are often used to verify the validity of data.
Cryptography and encryption have grown in importance in recent years. The Advanced Encryption Standard is a fantastic illustration of cryptography in action (AES). The AES algorithm is a symmetric key method that is used to protect secret government data.
4. Vulnerability management
The technique of analysing an environment for weak areas (such as unpatched software) and prioritising remediation based on risk is known as vulnerability management.
Businesses are continually adding apps, users, infrastructure, and other features to various networks. As a result, it is critical to scan the network for potential vulnerabilities on a regular basis. Finding a vulnerability ahead of time can spare your company from the devastating implications of a data breach.
Objectives of Information Security
- Confidentiality – means information is not disclosed to unauthorized individuals, entities and processes.
- Integrity – means maintaining accuracy and completeness of data. This means data cannot be edited in an unauthorized way.
- Availability – means information must be available when needed. Denial of service attack is one of the factors that can hamper the availability of information.
- Authenticity – means verifying that users are who they say they are and that each input arriving at the destination is from a trusted source. This principle if followed guarantees the valid and genuine message received from a trusted source through a valid transmission.
- Accountability – means that it should be possible to trace the actions of an entity uniquely to that entity.
Difference between Information security and Cybersecurity
Information security refers to the processes and strategies used to prevent unauthorised access to any type of sensitive data or information, whether in print or electronic form. Every individual and company’s information is a precious asset, making it even more critical to safeguard it from theft or loss.
Cybersecurity is a subset of information security that deals with preventing cyberattacks on internet-connected systems, including hardware, software, programmes, and data. It safeguards network integrity against unauthorised electronic access. Network security is a subset of cybersecurity that aims to secure the integrity of any network as well as the data sent across its devices.
Jobs in Cybersecurity and Information security
- Information security analyst
- Information security coordinator
- InfoSec officer
- Cybersecurity compliance security analyst
- InfoSec security manager
- Information security engineer
- Cybersecurity analyst
- Program security specialist
- Cryptographer
- Forensics expert
- Chief information security officer
- Penetrations tester
