The Importance of the CIA Triad and Understanding the Differences Between
Authentication and Authorization
Written By: Adryanna Smith
In Brief (Bottom Line Up Front)
CIA Triad consists of Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability, acting as a basis for
cybersecurity that strengthens trust and information dependability. All three have a complex,
interrelated relationship, with authentication including access permissions and verification,
and with authorization providing a basis for granting access permissions. For any activity
focused on securing systems, a thorough grasp of these terms is imperative.
The CIA Triad
The CIA Triad is a well-known model for defining information security’s critical
ingredients: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. All three individually form security
controls geared towards safeguarding information against unauthorized access, manipulation,
and loss (Chai, 2023).
Confidentiality
Confidentiality involves restriction of information access to only approved persons.
To maintain confidentiality, several techniques including access controls, encryptions, and
multi-factor authentication (MFA) restrict access (Smith & Jones, 2022). An applicable case
in point is banking systems, in which both transactions and information are preserved with
end-to-end encryptions, effectively protecting them from potential attack sources posed by
unauthorized parties.
Integrity
The accuracy and maintenance of information form integrity, allowing for only approved
processes to make any modifications (Doe, 2021). Organizations use hashing algorithms,3
electronic signatures, and version controls to detect any unauthorized modifications (Doe,
2021). For example, software developers use hash algorithms to confirm software packages’
integrity and genuineness when about to install them.
Availability
The principle of availability ensures information and programs can be reached by
duly qualified persons at any time when needed. Techniques such as redundancy, disaster
planning, and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack defenses always make
information and programs accessible (Chai, 2023). An example is using cloud service
providers in delivering information to several servers, allowing for continuity of operations
even in cases of server failure.
Authentication versus Authorization
The terms authentication and authorization have been confused with one another, but
they serve two specific security purposes. Identification and checking an individual’s identity
constitute authentication, whereas granting access to a specific resource for an authenticated
individual constitutes authorization (Smith & Jones, 2022).
Authentication
Being an important function for confirming a user’s identity before allowing access to
a system, a service, or a resource, authentication is an important function (Doe, 2021).
Identification can occur through several techniques, such as passwords, biometric markers,
and two-step (two-factors) authentication (Doe, 2021). For instance, in logging in to an email,
a user enters a username and password, and then a one-time passcode received in a message
to a mobile device, enhancing security (Doe, 2021).
Authorization
Authorization sets access privileges granted to a confirmed individual (Smith &
Jones, 2022). Organizations apply role-based access control (RBAC) together with policy-
based approaches (Chai, 2023). In a medical environment, medical professionals can view a
patient’s record in an electronic medical record system, with the permission to modify and
delete such a record being restricted to administrators alone.
Conclusion
The CIA Triad, including Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability, sets out guiding
principles for cybersecurity practice implementations. Organizations implement a range of
techniques with a view to protecting sensitive information, its integrity, and availability in
specific systems. Controls over access form a key part, consisting of both authentication and
authorization, allowing admission only to specific entities and confirming access privileges
regarding defined roles. By developing awareness and putting such techniques into practice,
an entity can reinforce its security and defend against vulnerabilities regarding cybersecurity
threats.
References
Chai, T. (2023). *Cybersecurity Principles and Best Practices*. Tech Security Press.
Doe, J. (2021). *Information Security Fundamentals*. CyberTech Publications.
Smith, R., & Jones, M. (2022). *Digital Security in the Modern Age*. InfoSec Global