Cyber security refers to the policies and procedures that are used to defend computer systems, networks, servers, mobile devices and data stores against malicious attacks; it is also sometimes referred to as IT security.

While the term encompasses a wide range of computing devices and activities it can be divided into the following broad areas:

• Network Security – securing a computer network against unauthorized access.

• Application Security – protecting software applications from threats to their data integrity and illicit access.

• Information Security – protecting the data that computer systems maintain both from access and modification.

• Operations Security – the processes and policies for managing data assets. This can include access control such as the permissions granted to different classes of users to view and modify data.

• Disaster Recovery – define how an organization recovers from a catastrophic failure of its computing function. Includes a plan for data backup and recovery procedures.