The Cybersecurity Illusion: Why It’s Time to Reclaim Information Security

Let me say it plainly: “Cybersecurity” is a made-up term.

Not in the whimsical sense of new words entering the lexicon, but in the way marketing departments invent language when they don’t know how to explain what they’re actually selling.

And it’s worked.

“Cyber” is now everywhere. On funding proposals, vendor brochures, executive briefings. It’s been absorbed into the bloodstream of boardrooms, policy papers, and LinkedIn hashtags.

But it’s a mirage. And it’s time we call it what it is.

Where Did “Cybersecurity” Even Come From?

The word “cyber” was borrowed from cybernetics, a field of study about systems, feedback, and control. The term drifted into sci-fi, cyberpunk, cyberspace, and from there into tech journalism and vendor slideshows.

But unlike “information security,” which is defined, measurable, and accountable, “cybersecurity” is an interpretation. It’s vague. It’s slippery. It’s a buzzword that promises protection but rarely explains what, exactly, it’s protecting, or how.

We’ve created an entire industry defending against something we can’t define and in all honesty, adversaries, we cannot see at the best of times. And in that ambiguity, something important has been lost: rigour.

The Danger of the Cyber Buzzword

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about semantics. This is about accountability.

When executives ask, “Are we secure?” and the answer is, “Yes, we’ve got cyber,”... we’ve failed.

Because “cyber” doesn’t cover insider threats.

It doesn’t cover outdated governance.

It doesn’t address poor off boarding, unmonitored physical access, or a culture of silence around security incidents.

It hides risk behind the glow of dashboards and the promise of machine learning. It makes “security” someone else’s problem, usually the CISO’s, or worse, the IT guy’s.

And let me ask: if your front desk still has a sticky note with the server login, are you “cyber secure”?

Exactly.

The Return of Information Security

Real protection isn’t just digital. It’s strategic.

Information Security (or InfoSec for those still clinging to acronyms) is the discipline of protecting information, any information, through a coordinated effort across governance, people, physical measures, and technology.

It’s about classifying data, controlling access, managing risk, and ensuring continuity when things go wrong. It isn’t sexy. But it works. And it doesn’t care whether the threat comes from a Russian botnet or Karen from accounting.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth most people won’t say:

Cybersecurity is one piece of the puzzle.

Information Security is the full picture.

Why Language Matters

The words we use shape decisions.

When boards hear “cyber,” they think IT.

When they hear “information,” they think business value.

“Cyber” is a thing you buy.

“Information Security” is a thing you do.

And doing it well requires interdisciplinary effort of risk managers, behavioural scientists, legal experts, physical security specialists, and yes, tech people too. It’s about understanding what’s worth protecting, why it matters, and how you build systems that are resilient by design, not patched after the breach.

So What Now?

Stop hiring Heads of Cyber.

Start hiring strategic minds who understand risk, regulation, operations, and protection.

Stop buying black-box solutions.

Start investing in real risk management, process, education, and culture.

And most importantly—start using the right words.

Because clarity is the first step to security.

About Shimazaki Sentinel

Shimazaki Sentinel is not your typical cybersecurity firm. We’re a strategic risk advisory and assessment organisation built for the grey zone—where digital warfare, adversarial psychology, governance failure, and real-world disruption collide.

We don’t do checklists. We don’t chase compliance.

We assess risk the way it actually exists: messy, adaptive, and human.

Our team combines decades of experience in cybersecurity, global security, counterterrorism, behavioural intelligence, and governance. We work with boards, executives, and operators to identify the risks that matter, and design systems that actually protect.

From information security and incident response to critical infrastructure resilience, geopolitical threat modelling, and digital counterintelligence, our work is sharp, tactical, and unflinchingly honest.

At Shimazaki Sentinel, we don’t sell fear.

We give organisations the clarity, confidence, and conviction to protect what matters—and the edge to stay ahead.