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Unit 1 Assignment

CIA Triad

Computer Science, University of the People

CS3340 Network And System Security

Prof. Deborah Best (Instructor)

Nov 22, 2023

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CIA Triad

The CIA triad, which stands for confidentiality, integrity, and availability, is a model that

helps organizations establish policies for information security and it is the foundation of

cybersecurity. Confidentiality means keeping data secret or private, by using encryptions, access

control, and authorization to information on a need-to basis (Furhlinger, 2020). Integrity means

that data is retained in an accurate state and protected from accidental and malicious

modification (Chai, 2023). Availability means data is available and acceptable to legitimate users

whenever they need the data. It is essential to maintain a balance while implementing security

measures for the CIA triad. If the security measures make it difficult for authorized users to

access data, such measures cannot be considered effective as they would discourage users from

using it. Thinking about the CIA triad helps make sense of various security options and

priorities. It helps us focus on a balanced solution that is secure, usable, and reliable (Furhlinger,

2020).

The internet is full of stories of cybersecurity breaches, however, it is very difficult to

find a story about failed cybersecurity attacks. After hours of searching, I found one relevant

story. CrowdStrike a cybersecurity firm reported that a suspected Russian hacker who was

responsible for hacking many US government agencies had failed his hacking attempt on

CrowdStrike (CNBC, 2020). The hacker had attempted to read CrowdStrike emails using a

Microsoft reseller account. CrowdStrike a strong promoter of CIA triad, maintains tight security

controls. Confidentiality, most of their data is encrypted, and in transit, in the event email or data

is accessed it will not be usable to the hacker. Integrity, CrowdStrike maintains dual
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authentication meaning data is accessible to authorized users only. Availability, use of VPN, dual

authentication, and DMZs ensure data is always available to legitimate users.

To conclude, I would say that, the CIA triad is one of the fundamental yet very effective

guiding principles when it comes to Cyber security. Data confidentiality is one of the major

concerns of big and small businesses, and one of the effective ways to maintain confidentiality is

to encrypt data at rest and in transit. Without data integrity, data is not reliable and thus unusable.

Maintaining data integrity using various methods like information classification, access control,

and authorization is essential. Finally, data is useful only when it is available when it is required.

Hence data availability is also one factor one needs to consider when designing Cybersecurity

solutions.
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References

Chai, W. (2021, January). Confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA triad). TechTarget.

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/Confidentiality-integrity-and-availability-CIA

CNBC. (2020). Suspected Russian hackers made failed attempt to breach CrowdStrike, company

says. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/24/suspected-russian-hackers-made-failed-

attempt-to-breach-crowdstrike.html

Furhlinger, J. (2020). The CIA triad: Definition, components and examples. CSO.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/568917/the-cia-triad-definition-components-and-

examples.html