The CIA Triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) is essential to the cybersecurity field. It is a model that people in the cybersecurity field use as a guide to make sure that data within a business stays secure, precise, and obtainable by authorized people. This paper will evaluate each of the three policies within the CIA Triad, as well as Authentication and Authorization and their differences.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality deals with keeping data private and safe from cyber-attacks. According to Wesley Chai’s article “What is the CIA Triad?”, he states that confidentiality is “designed to prevent sensitive information from unauthorized access attempts.” In other words, the policy of confidentiality is to make sure that only authorized people can access the sensitive information within a business. If unauthorized people were able to access that sensitive data, then they could download malware into that sensitive data, which could make your business go bankrupt.
Integrity
Based on The University of Tulsa’s article “What is the CIA Triad?”, integrity “ensures that the data in use- whether a piece of software code, an email, or a database record- remains genuine, unaltered, and true to its original state”. Essentially, integrity is making sure that any data within a business that is being used stays in its original state. If a piece of data’s integrity is at risk, then there is a chance that that piece of data can become corrupt, which can ruin a company’s tru942st with their systems.
Availability
Availability in the cybersecurity world deals with making sure people who are allowed to access certain information can effectively. If important data is not accessible, then it can cause whole businesses to come to a complete stop. The University of Tulsa gives a good example of how important availability is in the cybersecurity field: “Imagine the dire consequences if a doctor could not access a patient’s medical record during an ER visit, or if emergency services could not retrieve real-time data during a crisis.” If people such as doctors are not able to get information on their patient, it could cause the patient to potentially lose their life.
Differences between Authentication and Authorization
While authentication and authorization might seem like the same thing for a lot of people, they are different. According to Ryan Moss’s article “The CIA Triad, Authentication, and Authorization”, authentication “is the verification of a user or system’s identity, while authorization is the access privileges granted to an authenticated identity”. In simpler terms, authentication is the way you access certain data, while authorization is the data that you are allowed to see. A good example of this is when a college student uses a campus ID card to gain access to their dorm. The “authentication” in this situation would be the ID card, as it gives you access to the dorm. The “Authorization” would be what is inside the dorm.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the CIA Triad is a very important concept in the field of cybersecurity. Without it, it would be very difficult for businesses to function. Confidentiality makes sure that the data is safe and secure from cyber threats, Integrity makes sure that the data stays in its original state, and availability makes sure that the data is readily available for authorized people. Authentication deals with the process of gaining access to certain data, while authorization deals with what type of data you can see within a database.
Sources
University of Tulsa. “What Is the CIA Triad? | the University of Tulsa.” Online.utulsa.edu, 4 Jan. 2024, online.utulsa.edu/blog/what-is-the-cia-triad/.
The CIA Triad, Authentication, and Authorization – Ryan Moss. sites.wp.odu.edu/ryanmoss/2022/04/19/the-cia-triad-authentication-and-authorization/.
“What Is the CIA Triad_ Definition, Explanation, Examples – TechTarget.pdf.” Google Docs, drive.google.com/file/d/1898r4pGpKHN6bmKcwlxPdVZpCC6Moy8l/view.