BLUF:
The CIA triad is an acronym that stands for confidentiality, integrity and availability. The
CIA triad was a model that was designed to help guide policies based on information security for
companies and organizations. This paper will allow a deeper dive into each part of the triad and
why they are relevant and important.
Confidentiality:
Confidentiality is described to be very close or roughly equivalent with the term privacy
due to the fact that it is put in place to protect and prevent any sensitive information to be
accessed by any unwanted parties. This is primarily used against any bad actors with malicious
intent while at the same time only allowing access to authorized personnel. An example of this
would be if you were to send an email. The contents within that email are being delivered to a
specific person and/or group. In doing so, it allows that specific person access while protecting
against unauthorized people from accessing it.(Coursera Staff).
Integrity:
The integrity of the triad is the part that involves maintenance over the consistency,
accuracy and trustworthiness of data over its lifecycle as described in the article “What is the
CIA Triad? Definition, Explanation, Examples” by Wesley Chai. The integrity aspect is the piece
that keeps information and data from being altered or changed while in transit whether it may be
due to malicious intent or purely off of accidental mistakes.
Availability:
Availability is the part of the triad that allows the information, data and access to both
factors to be accessible at all times for when it is needed. This includes the maintenance of the
hardware and software or any other systems that manage information. Coursera staff explain
availability as the hardest to maintain in comparison to the other aspects of the triad. They say
this due to the fact that, as they put it, “One of the best ways you can protect data is to limit
access to it.”
Conclusion:
The CIA triad is composed of confidentiality, integrity and availability. These factors all
play a key role in ensuring proper security, accessibility, and privacy is maintained for the
authorized party. Confidentiality works to keep information from falling into unwanted hands.
While at the same time integrity works to keep proper maintenance over the trustworthiness of
the system, with availability allowing access to authorized personnel when needed. The CIA
triad is a key program that keeps data safe and secured.