CIA Triad Overview

Study Notes

The CIA triad is a model for information security that encompasses three key principles: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.
It forms a fundamental framework for information security, guiding security strategies and measures.
These three principles are interconnected and essential for protecting sensitive information and ensuring its safe use.

Confidentiality ensures that sensitive information is accessible only to authorized individuals or systems.
It protects data from unauthorized disclosure, preventing sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.
Confidentiality measures include encryption, access controls (passwords, biometrics), and data masking.
Strong authentication methods and authorization processes are critical components to support and enforce confidentiality.

Integrity focuses on maintaining the accuracy, consistency, and trustworthiness of data.
It ensures data hasn't been tampered with or altered without authorization.
Integrity measures include hashing algorithms (MD5, SHA-256), digital signatures, and version control systems.
Mechanisms to detect data corruption and ensure data recovery are essential aspects of maintaining integrity.

Availability means that authorized users can access data and resources when needed.
It ensures data and systems are operational and accessible to authorized users.
Availability measures include redundancy (mirroring data), backup procedures (regular backups), and disaster recovery procedures (plans in place for data recovery in case of disruptions).
Robust infrastructure and network design support availability and resilience.

Security controls are the technical and managerial safeguards used to implement and ensure the CIA triad principles.
They include physical security measures (like locks and fences), logical security controls (e.g. firewalls, intrusion detection systems), and administrative security controls (policies and procedures).
Choosing and implementing appropriate security controls is critical for achieving security objectives. Selection depends on the specific threats faced and organizational needs.

Threat management involves identifying, assessing, mitigating, and monitoring potential threats to information assets.
It focuses on proactive measures to address vulnerabilities and protect against attacks.
Threat modeling, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing are crucial parts of effective threat management.
Regularly updating threat intelligence is essential to staying informed of emerging threats.
Implementing appropriate security controls is an important aspect of threat mitigation.
Incident response plans are essential to address threats in a timely manner.