IT Security – Protection that keeps pace with threats

• Confidentiality: Protects information so that only authorized individuals can access it. Examples include email encryption or user permissions within a system.
  
• Integrity: Ensures that information is not altered by unauthorized parties. Examples include digital signatures and file version control.
• Availability: Ensures that data and systems are accessible when needed. This can include redundant servers, backup systems, and cloud services capable of handling high loads.
  
  

A Security Operations Center (SOC) is a central function that continuously monitors and detects IT and information security threats, while managing incidents in real time. By analyzing security alerts and following clear incident response procedures, a SOC can act quickly during an attack, minimize damage, and limit the impact on business operations. It also helps the organization meet requirements and guidelines such as NIS2 and ISO 27001.

Authentication is the process by which a system verifies that a user or device is truly who or what they claim to be. This can be done using:

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• Passwords
• Biometric methods (fingerprint, facial recognition)
• Two-factor authentication (2FA), which combines something the user knows (a password) with something the user has (a one-time code from an app or SMS)
   

The purpose is to prevent unauthorized access. 

Authorization determines what a user is allowed to do after authentication has succeeded. For example, an employee might have permission to read documents but not edit them, while an administrator has full access. Authentication confirms who you are; authorization determines what you are allowed to do.

IT security is about protecting computers, networks, programs, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft. The goal is to ensure that information remains confidential, intact, and accessible. 

‍Examples: Protecting company documents from cyberattacks, ensuring that customer data is not tampered with, and making sure employees can access internal systems even in the event of hardware failure.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts a user's files and demands payment (a ransom) to restore access. It is often spread via phishing emails or insecure downloads. Businesses and individuals can protect themselves through backups, security updates, and antivirus software.

Security monitoring involves the continuous oversight of networks, servers, systems, and applications to detect suspicious activity or attacks. This can include log analysis, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and real-time alerts for the security team. 

• Antivirus: Protects against classic viruses and trojans that can infect files and programs.
  
  
• Antimalware: Provides broader protection against various types of malicious software, including spyware, adware, and ransomware. Modern security practices often combine both types into a single solution.

• IT security: A broader term that encompasses the protection of all digital information and infrastructure, including computers, servers, networks, and cloud services, from both internal and external threats.
  
  
• Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity specifically concerns threats that arise via the internet or digital networks, such as hacking, phishing, and ransomware. It is therefore a subset of IT security that focuses on protecting against digital attacks.

• Internal monitoring: Checks internal systems and networks to detect issues, unauthorized activity, or insider threats.
  
• External monitoring: Monitors systems accessible via the internet, such as websites or cloud services, to identify attacks and intrusion attempts from external actors.