cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting information systems—computers, networks, programs, and data—from digital attacks, damage, or unauthorized access. It involves people, processes, and technology working together to detect, prevent, respond to, and recover from incidents. The goal is to maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability, often referred to as the CIA triad.

Key areas include network security, endpoint protection, application security, data security, identity and access management, and security operations. Security controls include authentication, authorization, encryption, monitoring, backups, patch management, and incident response planning.

Common threats include malware, phishing, ransomware, botnets, man-in-the-middle attacks, zero-day exploits, insider threats, supply-chain attacks, and distributed denial of service. Threats may target individuals, organizations, or critical infrastructure.

Approaches to cybersecurity emphasize defense in depth, least privilege, secure development lifecycle, risk assessment, and continuous monitoring. Recovery and resilience practices include regular backups, disaster recovery planning, and incident response.

Regulatory and governance considerations cover legal and regulatory requirements related to data protection, privacy, and security, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and sector-specific regulations. Compliance is typically integrated with risk management and governance programs to guide safe and reliable information handling.