Which statement best describes the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad?

• A. Confidentiality protects data from unauthorized access; integrity ensures data accuracy; availability ensures access when needed.
• B. Confidentiality guarantees data is always available; integrity prevents data access; availability ensures accuracy.
• C. Confidentiality ensures data accuracy; integrity ensures access control; availability prevents leakage.
• D. Confidentiality ensures logs are tamper-proof; integrity ensures backup; availability ensures encryption.

Answer: (A)

Confidentiality in the CIA triad is about keeping information secret and accessible only to authorized people. The best statement captures this by saying confidentiality protects data from unauthorized access, while integrity ensures data accuracy and consistency, and availability ensures data can be accessed when needed. The other options mix up these roles: one confuses confidentiality with always-on access, another assigns data accuracy to confidentiality, and another blends unrelated concepts like tamper-proof logs or encryption in a way that doesn’t correctly map to the triad.