Key Security Concepts Tutorial

In the digital world, where we use computers and the internet for many things, keeping our information safe is one of the most important tasks. This tutorial will explore some of the popular and important security concepts, making it easier for us to understand and use them to keep our online world secure and private.

Let’s take an example of a common house, which is typically made from bricks, stones, or concrete blocks. They are very strong materials which are considered to be secure from theft. But a house cannot be used easily without doors and windows so that the owners can come in and go out with keys. But it means anyone else can too with some hand tools. The doors and windows (and chimney) are considered vulnerabilities. In cybersecurity, a vulnerability refers to a weakness or flaw in a system’s design, implementation, or operation that could be exploited by attackers to compromise the system’s security.

An exploit is usually a tool (a software, sequence of commands…) that takes advantage of a vulnerability in a computer system or application to compromise its security. Exploits are typically designed to target specific vulnerabilities in software, hardware, or systems, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access, execute malicious code, or perform other harmful actions.

Now if a bad person uses the exploit to open the locked doors or windows to enter the house without permission then it is called a threat. But remember threat is a potential, not a problem. It means threat is something that can violate the security. Threats always exist, regardless of any countermeasures.

The owners of the house know about the above threats but they still need the door and windows for convenience. They can use a stronger lock, steel door or window bars to mitigate the threats. They are called mitigation techniques. In other words, mitigation technique is just something that can protect against threats.

strong window bars

Conclusion

In summarization, vulnerabilities in cybersecurity refer to weaknesses in system components that can be exploited by attackers. Exploits are tools or techniques that take advantage of these vulnerabilities to compromise security. Threats includes potential dangers or malicious activities that can harm computer systems, networks, or data. Threat mitigation techniques refer to anything that is used to reduce the risk of a potential attack.