Cybersecurity and ethical hacking are closely related fields, but they serve different purposes within the realm of protecting digital systems.
1. Cybersecurity
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Definition: Cybersecurity is the broad practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from cyber threats.
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Scope: Includes firewalls, antivirus, intrusion detection systems, access control, risk assessment, compliance, and data encryption.
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Goal: Prevent, detect, and respond to cyberattacks.
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Professionals: Cybersecurity analysts, engineers, and administrators.
2. Ethical Hacking
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Definition: Ethical hacking is the practice of legally breaking into systems to find and fix security vulnerabilities.
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Scope: Focused on penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and red teaming.
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Goal: Identify weaknesses before malicious hackers do.
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Professionals: Ethical hackers, also known as “white-hat hackers.”
Summary:
Ethical hacking is a subset of cybersecurity focused on offense (finding vulnerabilities), while cybersecurity is broader and includes both defensive and offensive measures.
