Define the CIA triad.

• A. Controlled access, integrity, and antivirus.
• B. Confidentiality, integrity, and accountability.
• C. Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability—three core objectives of information security.
• D. Compliance, integrity, and availability.

Answer: (C)

Three fundamental goals guide information security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Confidentiality protects data from being disclosed to unauthorized people or systems, using measures like encryption, access controls, and strong authentication. Integrity keeps information trustworthy by preventing unauthorized modification, with tools such as hashing, digital signatures, and robust change control. Availability ensures that data and services remain accessible to authorized users when needed, supported by backups, redundancy, and reliable infrastructure. This combination captures the essential aims of protecting information in storage, processing, and transit. Other concepts like antivirus, accountability, or compliance are important in security, but they are not the three core objectives described by this framework.