What are the Pillars of Information Security? (2024)

Information security is a group of practices designed to maintain personal data secure from unauthorized access and alteration during saving or broadcasting from one area to another. There are three pillars of information security such as confidentiality, integrity and availability that are essential to guaranteeing the effective safety of data are as follows −

Confidentiality − The first pillar is confidentiality, is associated with guaranteeing that information of a specific classification is not disseminated to persons external the group for which it is defined. It makes clear that only those individuals who have access permissions will be able to examine specific information. The group for which the information is defined could be a specific organization, department or a definite individual.

Confidentiality defines that sensitive information should be prohibited from being disclosed to illegal parties. There are generally two methods, or an amalgamation of these during confidentiality can be provided. One approach is to limit access to the information that should be kept undisclosed. The other approach is to encrypt the secret data.

Integrity − The second pillar is called the integrity of the information. This is associated to the eminence and dependability of information such as management can be secured that the information on which decisions are relied has not been tailored maliciously or else when the data is moved, captured and accumulated.

One approach of offering integrity is to connect a specific indicator or message digest at the end of the message that is going to be sent. If this digest remains unharmed during transit then the integrity has been conserved. Integrity defines that an asset or information can only be tailored by authorized parties or only in authorized manners.

Availability − The third pillar is called the availability of the information. When systems or data are unavailable, opportunities can be disappeared, deadlines missed or commitments neglected. Work progress can be weakened if the data is not accessible when it is needed. Even if the information is accurately what is needed to fulfill business requirements, if it is not accessible when required to accomplish a service, it turns out to be useless.

Confidentiality, integrity and availability are usually accepted as the three vital pillars of information security. Without adequate safety in place to avert illegal events, an organization’s most essential asset, especially its information, is at risk. Therefore, it is important that this asset be hidden and secured by means of these three pillars. There are more support structures of information security that can be used in sequence with the three main pillars to balance them, such as identification and authentication, access control and non-denial.