Cybersecurity can be defined as the area of technology dedicated to combating threats both inside and outside organisations through strategies and tools that protect computer systems or networks, seeking to prevent and repel possible attacks with malicious intent.
It has different branches, each focused on protecting different aspects related to systems, data, etc., against threats or vulnerabilities.
Linked to cybersecurity, but not the same thing, is IT security, the types of which we will analyse below.
Three types of IT security
The Telefónica Tech blog (in Spanish) explains the three different types of IT security: network security, hardware security and software security. Let’s look at the main characteristics of each one.
Network security
Its objective is to protect the information of users or companies on the Internet. Documents, bank details and passwords are ‘coveted’ by cybercriminals and, in order to prevent theft, the aim is to prevent access to them by avoiding identity theft, phishing, viruses and spyware.
Preventing unauthorised access, detecting or neutralising threats and ensuring secure user access are some of the objectives of network cybersecurity, which uses techniques and tools such as firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), access control and intrusion detection and prevention systems.
In the business world, it is extremely important to minimise risks and ensure business continuity in the face of threats in this category, which include malware and ransomware, denial-of-service attacks (DDos), intrusions or unauthorised access, and data theft and manipulation.
Hardware security
This refers to the protection of the physical components of electronic and computer systems.
Apart from vulnerabilities (such as design errors or manufacturing defects), there are other attacks such as firmware exploits, microarchitectural attacks, supply chain attacks and physical attacks.
The implementation of hardware cybersecurity must be carried out in a multidimensional manner, combining physical controls, cryptography, remote management, advanced authentication and supply chain monitoring.
Software security
Software security refers to the set of techniques, tools or practices that seek to protect computer applications or systems from cyberattacks, threats or vulnerabilities, with the aim of ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data and functionalities.
Although software security and cybersecurity are related, they are not the same thing: the former refers to the software itself and the data it handles, while cybersecurity is broader and includes the protection of systems, networks and data against various types of digital threats.
Cybersecurity and Telefónica
Telefónica has a position on cybersecurity, considering it to be ‘one of the most strategically important issues and one of the main systemic risks facing society, which is why business and government leaders around the world are innovating and proposing solutions to offer a more secure digital experience’.
The company also considers it ‘critical to provide companies of all sizes, as well as public entities, with the necessary resources for their digital transformation processes, accompanied by measures to deal with potential threats’.
The operator also highlights the importance of collaboration between public and private entities, as well as international cooperation, based on the premise that ‘no country or company can tackle existing cyber threats alone’.
