Does air-gapped mean no internet?
Mostly yes, but it means more than that. Air-gapped means a system is physically isolated from all untrusted networks, which includes the public internet but also any other network the organization does not fully control.
So no internet is part of it, but a truly air-gapped machine also has no link to the regular corporate network, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any other outside connection.
The point is that "no internet" alone is not enough, because a device could still be attacked through a local network that itself touches the internet somewhere.
A genuine air gap removes every network path, wired or wireless, leaving physical media like USB drives as the only way data moves in or out. In casual use people treat "air-gapped" and "offline" as the same thing, but in security terms the air gap is the stricter idea: complete network isolation, not just a disconnected internet cable.
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What is the purpose of an air gap in cybersecurity?
An air gap serves to physically isolate a computer or network from the internet and other untrusted networks, so that sensitive systems have no direct connection an attacker could reach through. The purpose is to create a barrier that remote threats like hackers, malware, and network-based intrusions cannot cross, because there is literally no link to exploit.
What does air-gapped mean?
An air-gapped system is a computer or network that's physically isolated from the internet and other unsecured networks, with no direct connection to the outside world. This isolation is a security measure meant to protect sensitive data or critical systems from remote attacks.
