Overview
Info
The CIA Triad is a foundational model in information security. It outlines three core principles that guide the protection of data and systems: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.
These principles are used to assess risk, design controls, and align cybersecurity practices with business goals.
🔐 Confidentiality
Restricting access to data to only those who are authorized.
Key Concepts
- Preventing unauthorized access or disclosure
- Enforced through access controls, encryption, and data classification
- Applies to all forms of data: physical, digital, and verbal
Common Controls
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Encryption at rest and in transit
🧾 Integrity
Ensuring that data is accurate, complete, and has not been tampered with.
Key Concepts
- Preventing unauthorized changes or corruption of data
- Includes both intentional and unintentional modifications
Common Controls
- Checksums and hashing (e.g., SHA-256)
- Digital signatures
- Version control and audit logging
🚦 Availability
Ensuring that authorized users have timely and reliable access to data and systems.
Key Concepts
- Systems and data must be accessible when needed
- Protects against outages, hardware failures, and denial-of-service attacks
Common Controls
- Redundant systems and backups
- Disaster recovery planning
- Load balancing and failover systems
🧩 CIA Triad in Practice
Principle | Threat Example | Control Example |
---|---|---|
Confidentiality | Unauthorized database access | Encryption, access control |
Integrity | File tampering or corruption | Hashing, digital signatures |
Availability | Ransomware or DDoS attack | Backups, network redundancies |
Tip
These three principles are interdependent. Strengthening one often affects the others. A secure system balances all three based on the organization’s risk profile and operational needs.
Summary
The CIA Triad is not a framework but a conceptual foundation used across all major cybersecurity standards. It informs security policies, threat modeling, incident response, and compliance efforts.
- Core to NIST, ISO/IEC 27001, and other standards
- Essential for building trust in systems and data
- Relevant for both technical and governance teams