Difference Between Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking!
Uploaded by
pvmounika poosalaDifference Between Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking!
Uploaded by
pvmounika poosalaDifference between Cyber Security and Ethical
Hacking
Audi Siva Bhanuvardhan
Student , (Cyber Architect.)
Many organizations today rely on cybersecurity and ethical hacking to protect themselves
from falling victim to cyber-attacks. Both cybersecurity and ethical hacking serve similar
purposes of improving a company’s security but they differ in a lot of ways. While cyber
security is a broader domain, ethical hacking is a part of cybersecurity. It is important for
any organization that is investing in a security framework to understand each of these
terms. In this blog, we will understand the
difference between cyber security and ethical hacking.
Explore popular Cybersecurity Courses
Before we explore the difference between cybersecurity and ethical hacking, let us
understand the terms cyber security and ethical hacking.
Definition of Cybersecurity
Cyber security is the practice to defend internet-connected systems, such as hardware,
software, programs, and data from damage, malicious attacks, or unauthorized access. It
helps prevent cybercriminals from gaining access to data, systems, or networks. Cyber
security is a broad subject that includes many security mechanisms, such as data
security, ethical hacking, and digital forensics.
Cyber security can be categorized into the following:
Application Security
Cloud Security
Data Security
Endpoint Security
Information Security
Identity Management
Mobile Security
Network Security
With cyber threats continuing to evolve globally, every organization especially those
involved in safeguarding sensitive data needs to take appropriate steps to protect their
sensitive information.
To know more about cybersecurity, read our blog – What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity Professional Job Role
Cyber security experts need to have a combination of different cyber security
skills and tools to provide a secure environment to the users against any attacks
on their data, devices, or programs. They must have a strong understanding of
various cybersecurity concepts, tools, and techniques to be able to face challenges such as
malware, ransomware, and zero-day exploits.
A cyber security professional is responsible for carrying out many activities. Here are
some of the common roles and responsibilities of a cyber security expert:
Determining the best ways to protect data, systems, and networks from
potential attacks
Implementing the most efficient technologies to improve the security
system
Security assessments & vulnerability tests
Guiding and supervising security teams
Keeping the security system updated
Explore the Best Cyber Security Programming Languages to Learn
Definition of Ethical Hacking
Ethical hacking is a subset of cybersecurity. It refers to the process of testing the system
against potential security breaches or data threats and repairing the flaws before any
cyber attack happens. Ethical hacking involves finding vulnerabilities and weak points
that cybercriminals can exploit.
Ethical hackers are also known as white-hat hackers. White hat hackers work
similar to black-hat hackers but with a different intent. White hat hackers use their
skills to find the loopholes of the given system with permission from the
server/system admin. They do not want to harm anyone with their acts rather they
safeguard the systems.
To know more about ethical hacking, read our blog – What is Ethical Hacking?
Ethical Hacker Job Role
Ethical hackers hack into the system with the owner’s authorization. After identifying
vulnerabilities on bypassing system security, they deliver a report on how they hacked
the system. The common roles and responsibilities of ethical hackers include:
Testing the security system
Evaluating the system’s performance
Finding weak points in the security system using appropriate hacking
techniques
Providing suggestions to enhance the security system
Notifying the organization about any malicious attack
Generating reports after finding vulnerabilities
Difference between Cyber Security and Ethical
Hacking
Ethical hacking can be viewed as a subset of cybersecurity. Ultimately both focus on data
protection. Both cybersecurity professionals and ethical hackers must be aware of the
scope and the shared mission to secure their companies. Below table highlights the key
differences between cybersecurity and ethical hacking:
Cyber Security Ethical Hacking
Cybersecurity is a broad domain
Ethical hacking is a subpart of
that includes a range of security
cybersecurity.
techniques.
It involves safeguarding the It involves finding vulnerabilities
system and data from malicious and reporting them to the system’s
activities by identifying and owner.
resolving security issues.
The focus is on how to protect It is focused on how to attack the
the system. system.
Cybersecurity experts protect the
Ethical hackers hack into the
system by regularly updating it and
system to find the flaws in the
implementing all potential
system and keep it safe
safeguards.
Ethical hacking is an offensive
It is a defensive task. strategy.
Regular maintenance is performed
Testing is performed regularly to
to ensure that the security system
identify flaws and resolve them.
is up to date.
Popular cybersecurity job roles Popular ethical hacking job roles
include security analyst and SOC include penetration tester and
engineer. security manager.
Final Thought
This brings us to the end of our blog on the difference between cyber security
and ethical hacking. In this blog, we learned that while ethical hacking
revolves around identifying vulnerabilities that are open for exploitation well before
hackers find them, cyber Security focuses on mitigating risks by using various security
controls.
Due to the increasing online data threats and attacks, the cybersecurity and ethical
hacking fields are becoming more significant than ever. The demand for cyber security
professionals and ethical hackers is increasing rapidly. Enroll in an online course today
to keep well-versed on important cybersecurity topics and the latest industry trends.
Some Job Roles in Cyber security
From Both Offensive and Defensive.
Challenges in Cybersecurity
With Generative Ai