Three basic security concepts are important in terms of information on the Internet: confidentiality, integrity and availability. The concepts related to people who use this information are authentication, authorization and acceptance.
When the information is read and copied by someone not authorized, the result is known as loss of confidentiality. For some types of information, confidentiality is a very important attribute.
Examples include data obtained from research, medical and insurance records, new product specifications and corporate investment strategies. In some places, it may be a legal obligation to protect the privacy of individuals. This is true for banks and credit card companies, hospitals, medical offices, medical testing laboratories, psychologicaloffices and agencies that collect taxes.
The information may be impaired when it is available on the insecure network. When information is changed in unexpected ways, the result is known as loss of integrity. This means that data been tampered with or as a result of human error or by deliberate modification. Integrity is particularly important for critical safety and financial data used in activities like electronic funds transfers, air traffic control and financial accounting.
Information can be deleted or become inaccessible, resulting in a lack of availability. This means that people who are allowed access to information can not get what they want.
Availability is often the most important attribute in service-oriented businesses that depend on information (airline schedules and online inventory systems). Network availability is important for any person whose business or education depends on a network connection. When a user can not access the network or a specific service provided by the network, it experiences a denial of service.
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