CIA TRIAD WRITE UP
Antoine Smith
The CIA Triad is a simple way to understand what makes information secure. It stands for
Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. Confidentiality is about keeping private data safe,
like making sure only the right people can see your medical records or bank account details.
Integrity is about making sure that information stays accurate and isn’t changed by mistake or by
someone with bad intentions. Availability means that the information or system is ready and
working when people need it, like being able to log into your email or access files at work
without constant outages
Two other ideas that often get mixed up are Authentication and Authorization. Authentication is
basically proving you are who you say you are—like typing in a password, using Face ID, or
entering a code texted to your phone. Authorization comes after that step; it’s about what you’re
allowed to do once you’re in. For example, when you log into a bank app, entering your
password is authentication. But being able to transfer money or just view your balance depends
on your authorization (Stallings, 2017). Put together, the CIA Triad explains what needs
protecting, while authentication and authorization explain who gets in and what they can do once
they’re there, and how they keep your information safe and compromise free from attackers.