20 Cybersecurity Domains: A Brief Overview [2025 Update]

Also known as cyber threat intelligence (CTI), threat intelligence is the process of collecting information from a wide array of resources pertaining to existing or potential attacks against an organization.

The information collected via CTI is analyzed and refined to minimize and mitigate cybersecurity risks. Along with other cybersecurity tools, it is used to protect an organization from cyber-attacks. Threat intelligence can be external or internal. 

7. End-user Education

The main intent of end-user education is to develop awareness in employees and equip them with the required skills and tools so that they can protect themselves and the organization from data attacks or data loss.

Employees can educate themselves too by learning different topics related to cybersecurity, like information security or infosec. Information security is a branch of cyber security that deals specifically with protecting information and information systems.

The 3 domains of information security are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. These information security domains are collectively known as the CIA triad. Awareness, cybersecurity tabletop exercises, and training are part of end-user education.

8. Security Operations

Security operations pertain to the tasks that put security plans into action. It covers applying resource protection techniques, disaster recovery, incident management, managing physical security, and understanding and supporting investigations.

This domain of cyber security also involves logging and monitoring services, requirements for investigation types, and securing the provision of resources.

9. Physical Security

Physical security is the process of protecting people, property, and physical assets from events and scenarios that can result in damage or loss. Different cybersecurity teams need to work in line to secure the digital and physical assets of an organization.

This is because the complexity of physical security is growing due to rapidly evolving technologies like the internet of things and artificial intelligence.

10. Career Development

Unbelievably, career development is also classified as one of the cyber domains. This is because the demand for skilled and qualified cybersecurity professionals has increased.

Career development in cybersecurity includes certifications, conferences, peer groups, self-study, training, and so on. Moreover, students can learn different topics and opt for programs like information security, risk assessment, or Ethical Hacking Certification Training.

11. Security Architecture

It is a unified security design to address the potential risks and requirements of a specific condition or environment. Security architecture also specifies where and when to apply security controls. This process is usually reproducible. 

The design principles and in-depth security control specifications are documented clearly and in different documents. The key attributes of security architecture are:

• Benefits 
• Drivers
  • Benchmarking and good practice
  • Financial
  • Legal and regulatory
  • Risk management
• Form
• Relationships and dependencies

Architecture risk assessment, implementation, operations and monitoring, and security architecture and design are the key phases in the process of security architecture.

12. Network Security

Imagine a network is like a giant highway. Lots of cars (data packets) are traveling on it. Network security is like having checkpoints and guards to ensure only the right cars get through and no one causes problems. Firewalls act like toll booths, checking each car to see if it’s allowed. Intrusion detection systems are like security cameras along the highway, watching for any strange or dangerous activity. If they see something suspicious, they alert the guards to take action and stop it.

13. Information Security

Information security is about keeping all your important information safe, not just the network. But your passwords, bank statements, personal documents, and secret recipes. It’s like putting these valuable things in a strong safe that only trusted people with the right combination can open. Information security means protecting this safe from thieves and unauthorized people, so your important information stays private and secure.

14. Cloud Security

These days, much of our data is stored online in the cloud. Cloud security makes sure this data is protected from hackers and other threats. It’s like having a secure lock on an online storage room where you keep important files and applications. Cloud security also involves making sure the companies that store your data follow strict rules and practices to keep everything safe, so you don’t have to worry about someone accessing your personal information without permission.

15. Endpoint Security

Any device you use to connect to the internet, like computers, phones, and tablets, is called an "endpoint." Endpoint security protects these devices from harmful software (viruses), fake messages trying to trick you (phishing), and people trying to access your device without permission. Imagine each of your gadgets having its own bodyguard, protecting it from any danger.

16. Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Think of a high-security building where only certain people can enter certain rooms using special keycards. IAM works like this but in the digital world. It makes sure that only the right people can access specific information and systems. For example, only you should be able to access your email account or bank account. IAM ensures that only you have the "keycard" to get in, keeping everything secure and preventing unauthorized access.

17. Incident Response

Sometimes, despite all the security measures, bad things can still happen, like cyber-attacks. Incident response is about having a plan for these situations. It involves identifying what went wrong, fixing the problem quickly, and learning from it to prevent it from happening again. Think of it like having a fire drill plan for your digital world. When something bad happens, everyone knows what to do to minimize damage, fix things quickly, and improve security for the future.

18. Cryptography

Cryptography is like using a secret code to protect information. It takes regular information and scrambles it into a code that only someone with the right key can read. Imagine writing a secret message to your friend using a special code that only the two of you understand. Even if someone else finds the message, they won’t be able to read it without the key. This way, your information stays private and secure.

19. Security Awareness and Training

People can often be the weakest link in any security system because they can make mistakes. Security awareness and training teach people how to recognize and avoid cyber threats. It includes lessons on identifying phishing emails, creating strong passwords, and being careful about what they click on or download. It’s like teaching everyone how to spot dangers in a jungle and stay safe. The more people know about these threats, the better they can protect themselves and the organization.

20. Mobile Security

Our phones are like small computers and hold a lot of personal information. Mobile security ensures that these devices are protected from harmful software (malware), unauthorized access, and data breaches. It’s like building a mini-fortress around your phone, making sure only you can access the information stored on it. Mobile security also includes practices like installing updates, using strong passwords, and being careful about which apps you download, all to keep your phone safe.

What are the Parts of Cyber Domain?

A newcomer to cybersecurity might ask what cybersecurity is. A cyber domain is defined as the area in which computer systems and networks are used. It has a high degree of complexity and is continuously changing.

Organizations necessitate developing a deeper understanding of the technologies and threats that exist in the cyber domain to be successful. There are 5 cyber domain parts, which are:

1. The physical domain
2. The logical domain
3. The data domain
4. The application domain
5. The user domain

Each part of the cyber domain has its own distinctive set of security challenges and risks that must be taken care of. To secure the cyber domain, organizations need to find the challenges and risks associated with every subdomain and mitigate the same. The holistic strategy that they came up with is called a cybersecurity policy.

The physical domain and logical domain comprise the hardware and software, respectively, that go into a computer system. The physical domain includes I/O devices, networking components, processors, memory, storage, and other physical parts of a computer system.

Software that runs on a computer system, including BIOS, operating systems, applications, and data forms the logical domain. It defines how data is accessed and manipulated. All the data stored on a computer comes under the data domain.

The application domain contains all the applications available on a computer system while the user domain is the domain that contains user information. Securing it requires adding PINs, passwords, security phrases, and so on. 

Cyber security domain refers to the different security approaches that we take to safeguard each type of cyber domain. We need to apply different approaches to different parts of cyber domains. In the next section we will discuss the various forms of cyber security domains. 

Map of Cybersecurity Domains

A map of the cybersecurity domain or a cyber security domain mind map is an image that demonstrates different domains in cyber security and their sub-domains. The following image is an illustrative example of a Cybersecurity Domains mind map download the PDF here:

Source: taosecurity.blogspot

As you can see in the cyber security domains map, there are various types of cybersecurity domains, which are further divided into cyber security subdomains that might further have subgroups.

For example, physical security is a domain of cyber security, and its domain is IoT security, which is a sub-domain of cybersecurity. Another example is security architecture, which has security engineering as its subdomain, which further has computer operations security and network security domains.

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Conclusion

Cybersecurity is a very broad topic, encompassing a wide array of principles, tools, frameworks, and more. With the exponential growth in cyberspace, cybersecurity has also witnessed an unprecedented demand. Thus, it is high time to make a career in cyber security.

There are numerous ways to learn cybersecurity domains, however, the thing that you need to do is to practice it. Hence, you can opt for KnowledgeHut’s Cyber Security Training Online courses to ensure that you learn and practice cybersecurity side-by-side.