The Significance of the CIA Triad
This article explains the CIA Triad, providing a model with the concepts of protecting information, data being trusted in a system, and allowing users to have access to such data.
CIA Triad
In the CIA Triad, there are three functions: confidentiality, integrity, and availability that make the security of data much stronger. Confidentiality is the first part of the triad that functions to keep information and data private for certain users. As Fortinet states, “A key component of maintaining confidentiality is making sure that people without proper authorization are prevented from accessing assets important to your business”(Fortinet, 2025). Integrity is the next portion in which consistency of data is very important to maintain. Users don’t want important information to be altered, which would cause them to believe the company is not trustworthy; reliability is one of the most important purposes of having strong security systems. Availability is the last part of the triad, where users should confidently be able to access systems and data when needed. From the IT Governance, “High availability is achieved by duplicating critical systems, keeping regular backups, using automatic failover, and monitoring performance to catch issues early”(IT Governance, 2025). With all these features combined, it allows systems for cybersecurity to be at its best.
Authentication
What makes authentication important is that it’s like a door that needs a key to be opened. The key relates to verifying your identity before opening the door, which reveals your information. Microsoft states, it’s a crucial part of cybersecurity because a false user’s top priority is to gain unauthorized access to systems(Microsoft, 2025). They do this by stealing the usernames and passwords of users who do have access(Microsoft, 2025). Examples of authentication would be playing a video game and having to put in two-factor authentication to be allowed into your account. It can also be the case with logging in to your email and having to put in a password or PIN.
Authorization
The purpose of authorization doesn’t directly correlate with authentication because you’re permitting them permission to have access. You can log into an account or another service, but you will only have access to certain things because you’re not authorized to access certain information. A good example from auth0, “ A permission becomes a privilege (or right) when it is assigned to someone. So, if you assign permission to furnish your house to your interior decorator, you are granting them that privilege”(auth0, 2025). With authorization, it is another level of security to keep important data from certain users.
Conclusion
To conclude this writing of the CIA Triad, each one of the three functions is vital to keeping cybersecurity information and systems secure. With the aid of authentication and authorization, this allows for another barrier to withstand false users from getting protected information. With so much technology in today’s world, the CIA Triad will continue to be present for the safety of users’ data systems.
References
“What Is Authentication? Definition and Methods.” Microsoft, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-authentication. Accessed 14 September 2025.
“What is Authorization? – Examples and definition.” Auth0, https://auth0.com/intro-to-iam/what-is-authorization. Accessed 14 September 2025.
“What is the CIA Triad and Why is it important?” Fortinet, https://www.fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/cia-triad. Accessed 14 September 2025.
“What Is the CIA Triad and Why Is It Important?” IT Governance, 18 June 2025, https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/blog/what-is-the-cia-triad-and-why-is-it-important. Accessed 14 September 2025.