Stage 1 · Lesson 1 of 8
Confidentiality, integrity and availability
The is the simplest way to say what security protects. It has three parts. Confidentiality means only the right people can read something.
Integrity means nobody can change it without being noticed. Availability means it works when people need it. Almost every control you will meet serves one of the three.
keeps things confidential, and signatures show whether data was changed, and backups keep things available. Real decisions often trade one against another. Locking an account after too many failed logins protects confidentiality, but it can also lock out the real owner, which hurts availability. Every later stage asks which of the three is at stake.
Common trapthinking security only means secrecy and forgetting integrity and availability, which is where many real incidents hurt most.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock
Resources for this stage
Start with· follow one of these
- CourseFreeProfessor Messer's Security+ (SY0-701) Course
Professor Messer · Beginner
Free video course whose early sections cover general security concepts, threats and cryptography at exactly the right depth
- PlatformFreeTryHackMe
TryHackMe · Beginner
The free pre-security and introductory rooms teach networking, Linux and web basics in guided, browser-based labs