CIA

The core triad of information security goals.

The CIA triad names the three foundational goals of information security: confidentiality keeps data from unauthorized disclosure, integrity ensures data is accurate and unaltered, and availability ensures authorized users can access systems when needed. Nearly every control maps to one or more of these goals, making the triad a framework for analyzing risk and threats. A useful counterpoint is the DAD triad of disclosure, alteration, and denial, which describes the corresponding attacks against each goal.