Commonly Confused Cybersecurity Terms
Safely navigating today’s online landscape requires a basic understanding of specific cybersecurity terms and concepts. Often, this terminology can be confusing, if not frustrating, which is precisely what cyber-criminals want.
Many terms relating to cybersecurity seem to be interchangeable or, at the very least, mean the same thing. This is often not the case, and confusion can lead to problems. Knowing the difference between these similar terms or concepts can be tricky, especially given the ever-changing landscape of technology.
Let’s look at a few examples and try to demystify things.
Data vs. Information vs. Knowledge
Our first example seems, at a glance, to be completely interchangeable. This is not the case. Data is usually understood to be the bits and bytes that make up the information. Knowledge then interprets that information in the context of the situation. For example, data could be a list of dates. This data would be useless without the information that makes the dates relevant and the knowledge that makes that information useful.
Data: 7/1,
7/2, 7/3, 7/4
Information: These numbers
are dates. 7 = July.
Knowledge: These are the
dates of the fourth of July weekend.
Security vs. Privacy
In the online world, security and privacy go hand-in-hand. While they are often used interchangeably, there are key differences. Security refers to the protection of your personal information from malicious threats. Privacy relates to the rights or controls over your data and its use.
Threat vs. Risk vs. Vulnerability
A threat is generally defined as something bad that could happen or as someone (a threat actor) who could cause something bad to happen. A risk is the probability that something bad will happen and the potential repercussions. A vulnerability is a “weak spot” that opens you up to potential threats and increased risk. Most of us face these situations daily. An example would be online shopping. We willingly enter sensitive banking information into our computers, accepting the risk that our information might be stolen.
Spam vs. Phishing
Spam is unsolicited email, instant messages, or social media messages. These messages are relatively easy to spot and can sometimes be damaging if you open or respond. Not all spam has malicious intent but should still be handled cautiously. Phishing is an email from a threat actor disguised as an email from a legitimate and trustworthy source. A phishing email attempts to lure you into revealing sensitive or confidential information.
While this is in no way an exhaustive list of commonly confused cybersecurity terms, hopefully, you are now better equipped to navigate the sometimes treacherous online landscape with confidence.