We have moved from earthly landscape to digital terrain. So, the cybercrimes will inevitably increase, which puts individuals, organizations, society or even the whole country at risk. This must be counteracted with strong cybersecurity systems. Cybersecurity must be prioritized to prevent digital attacks, data breaches, data theft and unauthorized access. However, the primary three goals of cybersecurity should be understood to effectively practice and implement the security measures. There are three goals of cybersecurity often referred to as the CIA triad comprising confidentiality, integrity and availability. In this article, we are committed to clearly explain and resolve the question of what are the three goals of cybersecurity with all its aspects and tools to achieve them.
Cybersecurity Goals and Objectives
The primary goal and objective of cybersecurity is to secure data storage, prevent unauthorized access, risk management, and deletion of data. These can be summed up and articulated into three kinds of goals, which we have already mentioned, confidentiality, integrity and availability. Following that, organizations create security policies based on cybersecurity standards to ensure the prevention of cyberattack. Many cybersecurity measures are implemented to protect the computer networks, softwares and hardwares from unrecognized and unwarranted threats and damages. These three goals of cybersecurity highlight the importance of constructing security barriers around our digital domain.
CIA Triad: Three Goals of Cybersecurity
CIA Triad, a cybersecurity goal-framework, consists of three goals of cybersecurity, which are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Professionals, organizations, technology, processes and tools must combine together to satisfactorily achieve these goals to ensure a strong and cybersecurity system. Let’s understand the threee goals of cybersecurity in a more detailed manner.
Goal 1 – Confidentiality: Keeping the Information Secret and Private
In the digital space, collecting, storing and sharing the data can lead to cyberattack. It must be ensured that authorized persons are only able to access the sensitive information. The sensitive data includes financial data like bank account details, medical records, biometrics, place of origin, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, etc. Organizations must keep this in a confidential manner to ensure trust among the users. It can be manipulated and exploited if it is not properly protected with cybersecurity measures. This right to privacy is the fundamental rights of the citizen, which must be protected at all costs to ensure ethical responsibility. This is the reason that confidentiality included as one of the three goals of cybersecurity.
Goal 2 – Integrity: Ensuring the Data Accurate and Reliable
If you are in digital terrain for longer, you might come across this declaration of integrity checkbox – ‘I declare that the information provided is correct and accurate to my knowledge?’. This ensures the integrity of the information and it has remained its original form throughout the process. It should not be altered or modified without the permission of authorized persons. Users must have the confidence that their information will not be changed without their authorization. It can be achieved by various measures like firewalls, security information, data protection tools and intrusion detection. Ensure to use the trusted and reliable tools to achieve this one of the three goals of cybersecurity.
Goal 3 – Availability: Ensuring the Data is Accessible
Availability ensures the information can be accessed by the authorized personnel anytime they want. It helps them to process the data, without any delay. This cybersecurity goal can be achieved by redundancy method, failover, and the regular maintenance. The key here is that accessibility of information must be ensured and properly maintained by the organizations.
Also read: Common Cybersecurity mistakes to avoid
Tools to Achieve the Three Goals of Cybersecurity
More than understanding the three goals of cybersecurity, the right tools must be implemented to achieve the goals. Here is the list of tools utilized for attaining the CIA triad goals.
How to Ensure Confidentiality?
Since confidentiality is one of the three goals of cybersecurity, it must be implemented in the digital systems. To ensure confidentiality, sensitive information must be identified and the relevant tools can be utilized. Let’s see the list of tools which can be used to achieve the goal of confidentiality:
1. Data Encryption
The Equifax data breach occurred in 2017, where hackers accessed the personal data of 150+ million users, because of outdated encryption standards and unencrypted passwords. This leads to huge penalties and degeneration of customer trust. Encrypting sensitive information, like passwords or financial data can solve this kind of problem. Encryption means turning the simple information into coded format to prevent unauthorized access or control. This transformation of readable data into unreadable format ensures cybersecurity. It can be only decoded by the encryption key, and only who has this key has access to view the data.
2. Physical Modes of Security
This form of security is the key to keep the organization secured, where the measures implemented to prevent unauthorized access to electronic informational assets. It can help to capture any kind of intentional encroachment. A variety of security methods can be used in this case like security cameras installment, PIN code keypads, face recognition systems, fire safety systems, etc. This keeps things secured by keeping away unauthorized agents.
3. Control Access
Though, it is an authorized personnel, the permission to access the data must be on a need-to-know basis. It is known as Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). Zero security systems are an essential component in this digitally complex world, consisting of local, hybrid or multiple cloud networks. This suggests that organizations should verify everyone, regardless of who ever it is, when it comes to security matters. Thus, the strict access controls are ensured through valid credentials and multi-factor authentication.
4. Two-Factor Authentication
The Two-Factor Authentication is also known as a two-step verification process, which goes beyond the username and password. This focused on two distinct forms of identification, adding the extra layer to the primary authentication entry. This strengthens the security in accessing the critical and private data.
5. Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA’s)
Non-disclosure agreement is an essential element in any cybersecurity plan. Employees and vendors must safeguard confidential and proprietary information, which can be done by signing the NDA. This legal contract ensures the confidential information between parties and protects the business information, trade secrets, proprietary data, user information, etc. It ensures the legal binding and the prevention of sharing information to others without authorized confirmation. This allows the businesses to keep the information of any sort secured and protected.
6. Authentication and Authorization
Identity access management (IAM) is an important inclusion in the large and complex organization with many employees and software solutions. It constitutes the two pillars – authentication and authorization. This system can be implemented to ensure the verification of user credentials at various stages of the process. This acts as a strong security barrier preventing the cyberattacks, effectively.
How to Achieve Integrity?
The following methods are typically employed by the organization to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the stored and processed data:
1. Checksums
Checksums are used to detect the transmission errors to ensure the data remain in its original form. When sending the data, the sender assigns a specific number sequence to the data and the same checksum function will be used by the receiver to compare the values. If the value differs, it indicates the error. This ensures the overall integrity of the received data.
2. Data Backups
Data backups move the copy of master data to a secondary location to access during an emergency. Sometimes, human errors, malware attacks and external issues could lead to permanent data loss. In this situation, backups help us to revive the data, once again.
3. Version Control
Version control is used to record the changes made in the files and primary source code, over time. It helps the term to keep track the changes and revert to the previous states, if they want to. It is like an undo button for your projects, with additional features. Essentially, it manages different versions, prevents data loss, and facilitates collaboration.
4. Digital Signatures
Digital signature is used to validate the authenticity of the data. It ensures the information originated from the signer, and has not been modified. Both private and public keys are combined in work in authenticating digital signatures. Private key encrypts the user signature, while public key is used for decryption and verification. The digital signature helps to protect the personal information from unauthorized handling.
5.Error Correction Codes
Everybody wants the data to be transmitted in a precise and accurate manner. While dissemination, data transformed into bits, which could lead to single-bit errors or errors in one or more bits termed as burst errors. Error correction codes allow us to identify and rectify the errors occurred in the process and streamline it effectively.
How to Enable Availability?
To ensure the information is available to the right person at the right time, the following methods can be used:
1. Redundancy
The method of redundancy duplicates the data or components. This helps us to access the data in case of server glitches or infrastructure failures. It resolves the availability issue by creating another source to access it.
2. Programmed Failovers
It is part of the redundancy plan, which moves the duplicated content in a backup system. The key thing is that programmed failover automatically backs up the duplicated data without manual intervention.
3. Regular Maintenance
By regularly checking whether systems and applications stay updated, the availability issue can be prevented. This practice keeps track of the changes and solves in case of data loss. This relentless vigilance helps us to never lose the data and makes it accessible to the owners.
CIA Triad Goals in Real-Time: Examples & Applications
CIA Triad, a cybersecurity framework, helps the organizations to identify and prioritize the security goals. The relationship between confidentiality, integrity, and availability guides the organizations to formulate security policies and achieve the three goals of cybersecurity.
In the following table, we have provided the sectors and the way three goals of cybersecurity are achieved:
| Sector | Confidentiality | Integrity | Availability |
| Healthcare | Patient records are protected | Keep the medical records in an accurate manner | Easy access to the information by the medical staff |
| Banking | Financial information is secured | Transactional accuracy is maintained | Access to online banking must be ensured |
| E-commerce | Customer payment details are protected | Product listings and prices kept in accurate | Ensuring the website operational at all times |
| Government Services | Classified documents are safeguarded | Integrity of personal records are maintained | Important services like online tax filing made accessible |
Conclusion
As people are almost living in the digital space, cybersecurity becomes an essential component. Without the security, an unauthorized agent can easily break the system and exploit the data. We have gone through three goals of cybersecurity – confidentiality, integrity, and availability – as a foundation for a cybersecurity system and tools to achieve. These three goals of cybersecurity, concepts and tools should be understood by the cybersecurity students and professionals. In our Mahalakshmi Tech campus, we teach the students both foundational concepts and the latest trends and tools to strengthen up cybersecurity knowledge and skills. Keep connected with our blog to learn more about cybersecurity and technology.
FAQs on Three Goals of Cybersecurity
1. What are the three goals of cybersecurity?
The three goals of cybersecurity are Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability, commonly referred to as CIA Triad.
- Confidentiality: It ensures sensitive information only accessed by authorized users.
- Integrity: It maintains the accuracy, reliability and consistency of data.
- Availability: It guarantees the information and date can be accessed when needed.
2. Why is confidentiality significant in cybersecurity?
Confidentiality in cybersecurity ensures that sensitive information, like password, financial or medical data, is kept protected and prevents unauthorized access. It protects against data breaches, identity theft, and loss of trust, and is often enforced through encryption, access controls, and NDAs.
3. What is integrity in the CIA Triad?
Integrity in the CIA Triad assures that data remains accurate, consistent, and not modified unless changed by authorized users. It can be achieved using methods like checksums, digital signatures, version control, and error correction codes to identify and prevent unauthorized alterations.
4. How does cybersecurity ensure the goal of availability?
Cybersecurity ensures availability by using redundancy methods, programmed failovers, and regular maintenance to keep services and data accessible when required.
5. What tools help achieve the three of goals of cybersecurity?
Tools that help achieve three goals of cybersecurity – confidentiality, integrity, or availability – are data encryption, access controls, authentication systems, backups, error correction codes, digital signatures, and redundant systems.
