BLUF
Confidentiality, integrity, and availability are the three components of the CIA Triad, and each plays an important role in cybersecurity. This paper defines each part of the CIA Triad, compares authentication and authorization, and examines a real-world cybersecurity incident.
Confidentiality
The purpose of confidentiality is to protect data and information from anyone who does not have the authorization to view it. According to Cyber Writes Team (2024), confidentiality is crucial in protecting information from threats such as insiders, phishing attacks, eavesdroppers, and hackers. An example of the importance of confidentiality is doctor patient confidentiality. Without it, people might be less likely to communicate honestly with their doctor, which could potentially prevent them from receiving proper care. Chai (2022) suggests protecting confidentiality through methods such as data encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), keeping access control lists up to date, and handling data according to an organization’s privacy requirements.
Integrity
Integrity means preserving information so that it remains accurate and dependable. Essentially, simply having information is not enough, you also need to be able to trust that it is correct and up to date. Cyber Writes Team (2024) emphasizes the importance of accurate data in industries such as healthcare, finance, and government because errors or unauthorized changes can have serious financial, legal, and safety consequences. Imagine, for instance, a child comes home with a report card stating that he has a D in a class when the grade was actually meant to be an A. In this case, the integrity of the information has been compromised because the report card is inaccurate. Even a small error in the data could have consequences. Chai (2022) explains that organizations can support data integrity by providing employees with compliance training, maintaining reliable backup and recovery software, and using safeguards such as access control, version control, data records, and checksums to help protect the accuracy of information.
Availability
Availability focuses on making sure authorized users can access the information they need without interference. As Cyber Writes Team (2024) explains, availability is crucial because if critical systems become unavailable, it can disrupt daily operations, cost the organization money, and affect its reputation. To put into perspective why availability matters, imagine a patient in a hospital suddenly needs medication, but the nurse cannot access the patient’s medical records to check for allergies or current medications. Chai (2022) explains that organizations can improve availability by keeping systems updated, monitoring networks and servers, and using redundancy or failover systems. Data and business continuity plans are also important for restoring access if data becomes unavailable (Chai, 2022).
Authentication vs Authorization
Authentication and authorization may work hand in hand, but they perform different functions. Authentication’s role is to verify a user’s identity, while authorization’s role is to grant or deny a user permission to access data or information depending on what they are authorized to view (Entro, 2025). For instance, logging into Canvas by entering your username and password is an example of authentication because you’re using your credentials to verify your identity. Once logged in, you may be authorized to view your own classes and grades, but you would not be allowed access to other students’ classes and grades.
Cybersecurity Incident
The 2017 Equifax data breach is an example of a major confidentiality failure. According to Petrino (2026), a weakness in the Apache Struts software gave attackers a way into Equifax’s system, where they accessed personal information from nearly 148 million people. The exposed information included credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, names, birth dates, drivers license numbers, and other personal information (Petrino, 2026). Personal information such as your Social Security number falling into the wrong hands could lead to a number of issues such as identity theft. According to Petrino (2026), the breach was preventable because a patch for the vulnerability had already been released, however, Equifax failed to apply it to the affected system and attackers were able to remain in the network for 76 days undetected. Similar incidents could be reduced with precautions like timely software patching, regular vulnerability scanning, and stronger network monitoring so organizations can identify weaknesses and suspicious activity sooner (Petrino, 2026).
Conclusion
Confidentiality, integrity, and availability are essential within cybersecurity. Each one addresses a different security need, but they are most effective when they are used together. Authentication and authorization also support security protection by verifying users and determining what they are allowed to access. Lastly, the Equifax breach shows how serious the impact can be when security weaknesses are not addressed.
References
Chai, W. (2022, June 28). What is the CIA triad? Definition, explanation, examples. TechTarget.
https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Confidentiality-integrity-and-availability-CIA
Cyber Writes Team. (2024, November 13). What is the CIA triad (confidentiality, integrity, availability)? Cyber Security News.
https://cybersecuritynews.com/cia-triad-confidentiality-integrity-availability/
Entro. (2025, July 2). Authentication authorization.
https://entro.security/glossary/authentication-authorization/
Petrino, G. (2026, July 8). Equifax data breach: What happened, who was behind it, and what to do. Security.org.
https://www.security.org/identity-theft/breach/equifax/