The CIA Triad: What Security Protects
Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks and data from harm. Almost every security goal falls under three headings, known as the CIA triad:
- Confidentiality: only the right people can see the data (a medical record stays private).
- Integrity: data is accurate and has not been changed without permission (a bank balance is not quietly edited).
- Availability: systems and data are there when needed (a website that is down, or files locked by ransomware, fail this one).
When you look at any incident, ask which of the three was harmed. This course is about defence: understanding how attacks work so you can build and run systems that resist them. Only ever test security on systems you own or have written permission to test.
An attacker silently changes the prices in a shop database. Which part of the triad is harmed?
Classify these three incidents with the CIA word that fits best and print one word per line, in this order: stolen passwords, a tampered exam mark, a crashed payment website. Use the words confidentiality, integrity, availability.
Finish the quick check (and any code exercise) to complete this lesson, or mark it done yourself.
Tip: use the left and right arrow keys to move between lessons.