What is CIA in Cyber Security?

In Cybersecurity, CIA stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. It's a foundational model—often called the CIA Triad—used to guide security policies, procedures, and measures for protecting data and systems.

1. Confidentiality

• Goal: Prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.

• Think: Only the right people should see the information.

• Examples:

  • Encryption

  • Access controls and permissions

  • Two-factor authentication (2FA)

2. Integrity

• Goal: Ensure that data is accurate and hasn’t been tampered with.

• Think: The data stays exactly as it was intended—no unauthorized changes.

• Examples:

  • Checksums or hashes

  • Digital signatures

  • Version control systems

3. Availability

• Goal: Ensure that systems and data are accessible when needed.

• Think: Authorized users can access what they need, when they need it.

• Examples:

  • Redundant systems and backups

  • DDoS protection

  • System maintenance and patching

The CIA Triad helps organizations design security systems that maintain:

• Privacy (via confidentiality),

• Trustworthiness (via integrity),

• and Reliability (via availability).