Cyber Threat vs Vulnerability: Do you Know the Difference?

In a world where everything is online, it can be scary to think about what access people may have to your personal information. There are a lot of options for protection as well, but it can be hard to decide what you need protection from. This is when it’s helpful to know the differences between cyber threats and cyber vulnerability.

So, what are some differences between a Cyber Threat and a Vulnerability? A Cyber threat is different from a cyber vulnerability as the cyber threat is a possible malicious act that requires protection against, like a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack and a cyber vulnerability is a weakness that could end up being exploited like not having DDoS protection in place to stop DDoS attacks.

Here is a list of the top 10 differences:

Access
Actions
Harm
Identification
Protection
Back-up Plans
Recovery
Security
Policies
Control

This article will go into detail about how these differences can affect your cyber information. Arm yourself knowledge and boost your cyber know-how. Knowing how to react and protect yourself from a cyber threat can really help protect you, your identity, and your business from a cyber takeover.

1. Access

The big difference between cyber vulnerability and a threat is the access to your information. A cyber threat is when someone could potentially have means of direct access to your information. They could use methods to see and use it freely. For example a malicious person could have malware which when installed onto a users device, could allow them to steal personal information.

A cyber vulnerability would be not having anything on your device that can protect against malware like antimalware software. This could lead to you visiting a website to opening an email, that will allow the malware to infect your device, allowing the cyber threat to become real.

You need to assess the risk your information has before a threat becomes realized. Providing access to your personal information to pop-up ads can be risky in that anyone may be able to hack or be using the platform to get personal information from you. Knowing to avoid sketchier websites will help keep your information safe.

2. Actions

A cyber threat is potential direct action^[1], while a cyber vulnerability is a chance an action might occur. A cyber threat could be ransomware that could infect your computer and make it unusable unless you pay a ransom to the hackers reponsible for encrypting the information on your computer, this would be a cyber threat if it hadn’t actually happened. A vulnerability would be not having any protection on your computer to protect against ransomware like some Antivirus products.

You can reach out for help in distinguishing these actions. There are businesses that excel in security and protecting you from cyber threats. Looking into companies like Norton Security can create a firewall and protect you from the actions of a cyber threat. With those, you are noticing your vulnerability and acting accordingly.

3. Harm

The way you are harmed^[2] by the action is another way to tell whether it’s a threat or vulnerability. Direct harm, such as stolen information or funds, would be a threat while the vulnerability is the chance that harm may happen. Finding protection for this threat is the premise of many security companies. You would reduce your vulnerability by having these securities in place.

Knowing what harm can come from various outlets can protect you. If you are aware of the dangers of the cyber world, you can be better prepared for it. This is why knowing your cyber vulnerability can help prevent cyber threats from manifesting and getting access to your information. Vulnerability is the step before the cyber threat can take over.

4. Identification

How you identify a threat or a vulnerability can be different as well. A threat can be seen as a more extreme of the two since direct harm can come from it. While the vulnerability is the risk that cyber harm can be done to you. A threat to your cybersecurity is something many security companies strive to protect you from.

You should receive information on how to protect and prepare yourself for both. While vulnerability sounds less risky than a threat, staying a step ahead can also protect you from threats as well. For example^[3], having a plan B in the form of saved drives of information can protect you from a virus that may distort all your files.

5. Protection

The way you protect yourself from a cyber threat or vulnerability is different. A cyber threat may need security intervention to get a virus or application out of your files. A way to protect a vulnerability would be having all your information saved on another network or drive.

You should know the risks of going into any cyber interaction. Whether it is a cyber threat or vulnerability, the risk is present in both. For protection, make sure to look through all websites you choose to save personal information on. There are hackers or viruses that appear reputable to trick you into trusting it.

6. Back-Up Plans

Being one step ahead can look different for a cyber threat versus vulnerability. You should always have a back-up plan for either a threat or vulnerability. A back-up to a threat would be your security team. Which can be people working for your credit card company, or virus protection company. A vulnerability back-up can be realizing your information is at risk and ordering an anti-virus program.

The fact that you are thinking of back-up plans will put you in a better place than ignoring it. It is unwise to think that you will remain cyber protected simply because you have not experienced a cyber threat. Knowing the vulnerability and risk will lessen the chances that you experience a threat. Make sure you have at least one back-up plan^[4].

7. Recovery

The consequences of a threat or vulnerability can recover differently. A threat can cause direct harm, which means the recovery will be to the hit that your cyber information just endured. This could be lost funds, information, codes, etc. Recovery from that must be replenished with those materials.

A vulnerability recovery could be hearing that there are loopholes in your security and covering those loopholes with the necessary protection. This can be virus protection, a security team, or separate copies of information stored elsewhere.

8. Security

Security will also look different depending on whether the cyber action is a threat or vulnerability. A threat will need more extreme security to offset it, while vulnerability security would be putting security up in the first place. Vulnerability is knowing there can be a potential threat, while a threat is when the action is happening.

Learn what security measures you can take to protect your information. If you are a single person worried about your personal information, learn what options are out there for you. If you are operating a business, it can be beneficial to create a security team to stay on top of the latest and greatest security options out there.

9. Policies

The policy you enforce for a threat or vulnerability can vary. Policies, like performing a wipe of interfaces, can be enforced for a cyber threat. While having all your computers backed up on a separate hard drive would be a policy for a cyber vulnerability. You should be sure to have policies^[5] in place for both so you will know how to respond at the moment.

10. Control

You are more in control of a cyber vulnerability over a threat. You can put up precautions and protection for a cyber vulnerability. While a threat may need more assistance or help from an outside source to take care of it. You have less control, which can also be more maddening to the consequences that happen due to that threat.

You could lose vital information or work documentation to get rid of the threat, which can be a hefty blow to your life and your business.

Summary

We’ve discussed how a cyber threat can be different from cyber vulnerability. A threat has a more direct effect on your information and cybersecurity. Cyber vulnerability is the potential risks your information has to be put under threat. Hopefully, this article helped shed some light on these differences.