Class D Security License Practice Test

The CIA Triad represents three fundamental objectives of information security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Confidentiality means keeping data accessible only to those who are authorized to see it, using controls like encryption and strict access permissions. Integrity means the data and systems remain accurate and unaltered, safeguarded by measures such as hashing, checksums, and digital signatures. Availability ensures that information and services are reachable when needed, supported by redundancy, backups, and reliable systems.

These three goals work together to create a balanced security posture. For example, strong confidentiality protections can sometimes impact availability or performance, while prioritizing constant availability might require generous access that challenges confidentiality. The best-known trio is Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability because it directly reflects what must be protected and how.

The other groupings don’t match the established triad: Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting focuses on identity and auditing rather than the three security goals; Privacy, Security, Compliance are broad governance concepts; and Access, Control, Trust are general terms not the formal triad used in security doctrine.