Requirement 3 of 9

Fundamentals

Describe systems that need protection and explain why confidentiality, integrity, and availability are central to cybersecurity.

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Checklist

Requirement 3 discussion guide

Use these notes to explain what needs protection in cybersecurity and why the C.I.A. Triad matters.

Systems that need protection

  • Personal devices and accounts need protection because they hold private messages, photos, schoolwork, and financial data.
  • Business and school systems need protection because attacks can interrupt operations, expose sensitive records, or damage trust.
  • Critical infrastructure such as hospitals, utilities, transportation, and communications systems need protection because failures can affect public safety.

The C.I.A. Triad

Definitions

  • Confidentiality means information is only accessible to authorized people.
  • Integrity means information stays accurate and is not improperly changed.
  • Availability means systems and data are reachable when needed by authorized users.

Why it matters

  • A system can fail even if only one of these is damaged, such as leaked data, altered records, or an outage.
  • Cybersecurity decisions often try to balance and protect all three at the same time.

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The C.I.A. Triad

Explain confidentiality, integrity, and availability and why all three are important in cybersecurity.

Definitions

  • Confidentiality means only authorized people can access the information.
  • Integrity means the information stays accurate and is not changed improperly.
  • Availability means authorized users can reach the information or system when they need it.

Why all three matter

  • A system can fail if data is leaked, changed without permission, or unavailable during an important moment.
  • Cybersecurity protects all three so systems stay private, trustworthy, and usable.

The C.I.A. Triad locked

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Requirement 1

Safety

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Requirement 2

Ethics

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Requirement 3

Fundamentals

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Requirement 4

Cyber Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks

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Requirement 5

Cyber Defenses

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Requirement 6

Cryptography

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Requirement 7

Connected Devices and IoT

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Requirement 8

Cybersecurity Activities

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Requirement 9

Careers

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