CIA Cyber Security: Confidentiality, Integrity, & Availability

Did you know that the three components of CIA cyber security were not formed together, but in different years and by separate creators? The first one came into vogue in 1976, and all three became part of the CIA triad only in 1998. But what is the CIA triad, and how is it essential for cybersecurity? This blog will explore CIA cybersecurity or the CIA triad, its core components, challenges, implementation, and importance.

What is the CIA in Cyber Security?

CIA in cyber security refers to a model that forms the basis of the information security policy or system of an organization. This model is called the CIA triad in cyber security, and the CIA’s full form in cyber security is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It is also known as the AIC triad (availability, integrity, and confidentiality). 

Availability is the reliable access to the information by people who are authorized. Confidentiality is a set of rules that limits access to information while integrity assures that the information is accurate and trustworthy. The triad helps to segregate concerns based on these components, and the security team of the organization can address these concerns and deal with the security threats. To understand the cyber security threats and network security in depth, refer to an online ethical hacking course.

Core Components of CIA Triad

From the above section, you know the triad comprises confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Now, let us discuss these core components of CIA cyber security in detail. 

• Confidentiality: The first step to securing your data is to limit access to it. Every organization wants to protect its data. For this, they control the access to it by various authorization methods. The information or data is categorized according to the vulnerability, that is, the potential damage it can cause if authorized by the wrong person. It, on the other hand, also ensures that necessary privileges are provided to those who need to have access. 
• Integrity: The aim of organizations is that their data should remain the same in transit, and no unauthorized person should tamper or alter it. By maintaining data integrity, they are assured that the data is reliable, accurate, and trustworthy.
• Availability: Though cybersecurity measures are necessary, if the data is not accessible to authorized users, then the entire process becomes futile. Therefore, availability in the CIA triad means that information should be readily and consistently accessible to authorized parties. For this, the systems, applications, and networks must be functional and display the required information when accessed.

Challenges to the CIA Triad in Cyber Security

The CIA triad is for enhancing cyber security, but it does face challenges while at its job. The challenges or threats faced are as follows:

• Threats to Confidentiality

The following are the challenges faced while maintaining confidentiality:

• Direct attacks involve gaining unauthorized access to systems to view, modify, or alter data. An example is the man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack that aims to intercept the data by invading the information stream. They steal or modify data and use it for malicious purposes.
• Some other attacks involve network spying to get credentials for system authorization or clearance of the next level by accessing system privileges. 
• Human error can also pose a threat to confidentiality. Not protecting passwords, sharing credentials with others, hardware threats, and communication channels not encrypted correctly can be harmful.

Threats to Integrity

The following are the challenges faced while maintaining Integrity:

• It involves intentional threats such as an attacker altering logs to hide attacks and changing file configurations to allow unauthorized access. They may also bypass an intrusion detection system. 
• Unintentional mistakes such as entering a wrong code can also tamper with the integrity of the data.
• Inadequate security policies or procedures lead to violation of data integrity without accountability. 

Threats to Availability

The following are the challenges faced while maintaining availability:

• Natural disasters halt business operations and compromise availability. 

Intentional attacks such as ransomware, acts of sabotage, and denial-of-service attacks (DoS) also affect the availability of data.

How to Implement the CIA in Cyber Security?

CIA cyber security encompasses certain technologies and practices, and you can implement them through these to improve your network security. 

Ensuring Confidentiality

The following are the technology and practices used to ensure confidentiality:

• Data encryption methods ensure the confidentiality of data.
• Biometric verification and two-factor authentication also maintain confidentiality. 
• Password-related best practices to ensure strong passwords that keep the data from unauthorized access.
• Training authorized users to combat risk factors and use social engineering methods. 

Maintaining Integrity

The following are the technology and practices used to maintain integrity:

• Checksums included in data are used for verification of integrity. 
• Version control is an effective method to prevent unintended changes or deletions by users.
• Non-repudiation is another way to verify integrity. It means non-denial. An example is digital signature in emails where the sender cannot deny sending it. 
• Digital certificates, encryption, and hashing are also used to maintain integrity.
• Software to detect changes in data due to a server crash or electromagnetic pulse is used. 

Providing Availability 

The following are the technology and practices used to provide availability:

• Maintenance of hardware and software is the most effective way to provide availability. 
• Timely software upgradation and installation of firewalls and proxy servers are useful. 
• Redundant applications, networks, and servers help ensure availability when the primary system is damaged. 
• Recovery plans and backups are a must to ensure there is availability of access to data in times of an unpredictable event.

Importance of CIA in Cyber Security

Despite the challenges, CIA cybersecurity is essential to maintain the network security of various organizations. We have discussed what is CIA in cyber security, and now let us understand its importance.

• The three components of the triad help form a security policy to safeguard essential data from cyber threats. 
• It provides a comprehensive checklist for organizations to evaluate security procedures and tools. 
• The triad components help to analyze and understand the problem areas after a cyber threat. The security measures are optimized accordingly to tackle the issue better in the future. 
• It also helps organizations to stay compliant with complex regulations.

Conclusion

With the ever-changing technology, the threats are also evolving, posing a challenge to network security. While there is a need to innovate new practices and strategies to tackle cyber threats, CIA cyber security remains at the core of security measures. 

What measures would you implement to secure your organization from potential cyber threats? Share your answers with us in the comment section below.