Network Security vs. Cybersecurity: What's the Difference?

The definitions of "Network security" and "Cybersecurity" can sometimes be a contentious subject. Both are terms related to an organization's security measures to protect their systems from threats. However, while network security is a separate and important subset, cybersecurity covers a broader whole in terms of security. In this article, we'll look at network security and cybersecurity in more detail and how they differ.

What is Network Security?

“Network security is a form of cybersecurity, but it focuses on protecting and limiting access to the IT infrastructure of a system,” states Esther Chamberlain of Acuity Total Solutions. “Network security includes hardware and software technologies that can contain various threats. If network security is in place, there's a reduced chance of a virus spreading on your network, and if implemented effectively, it can fully protect your network.”

What is Cybersecurity?

“Cybersecurity is intended to limit unauthorized access to an organization's total systems,” notes Esther. This consists of strategies, training, and software defenses against hostile cyberattacks from the outside. Cybersecurity often focuses on all the threats external attackers can pose to your application system, but can also include prevention and protection from internal threats like disgruntled employees or compromised vendors.

Building the Fortress

While both are important, network security and cybersecurity are very different in terms of focus. If you look at your organization as a fortress, network security is concerned with maintaining peace within the walls and protecting your organization's sovereignty from network-related threats. In other words, it works to protect information as it travels through the “city”, or across an organization's network. Network security protects the organization's IT infrastructure, which includes hardware, software, networking components, operating systems (OS), and data storage.

Cybersecurity, on the other hand, protects organizations from external threats in cyberspace by inspecting and improving the walls, guarding against prowlers and spies, and protecting the water (data) from being poisoned. Thus, protecting the organization's total systems, including networks, from digital attacks or social engineering, is cybersecurity as a whole.

How it Relates to Data

Data protection and program integrity are of paramount importance. Network security, a localized aspect of cybersecurity, is focused on protecting an organization's IT infrastructure from within. One example of this would be properly segmenting and segregating networks and functions. While cybersecurity is more comprehensive in its focus, both processes include securing firewalls, identity passwords, backups, encryption, etc., but often in different applications.

Because of the similarities and overlapping disciplines, this can be a disputed subject among security professionals. Simply put, network security is not the same as cybersecurity. Both are indispensable parts of a secure system, but they require a working knowledge of different types of hardware and software systems.

Final Verdict

In conclusion, network security is a subset of cybersecurity and a collection of an organization's tools and techniques to protect their network infrastructure. It protects data transmitted through a network terminal.

Cybersecurity is the overall security mechanism that organizations use to protect their data, devices, and systems from unauthorized access and cyber threats on the outside, such as pretexting, phishing, and other forms of social engineering.