7.1 Security Principles Explained

Key Concepts

• Confidentiality
• Integrity
• Availability
• Authentication
• Authorization
• Non-Repudiation
• Least Privilege

Confidentiality

Confidentiality ensures that sensitive information is accessible only to those authorized to view it. This principle is achieved through encryption, access controls, and secure communication protocols.

Example: A healthcare organization encrypts patient records to ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive medical information.

Integrity

Integrity ensures that data remains accurate and unaltered throughout its lifecycle. This principle is maintained through checksums, hashing, and data validation techniques.

Example: A financial institution uses hashing algorithms to verify that transaction records have not been tampered with during transmission.

Availability

Availability ensures that systems, data, and services are accessible when needed. This principle is achieved through redundancy, failover mechanisms, and robust infrastructure.

Example: A cloud service provider uses redundant data centers and load balancing to ensure that its services remain available even in the event of a hardware failure.

Authentication

Authentication verifies the identity of users and systems. This principle is implemented through passwords, biometrics, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and digital certificates.

Example: An online banking system requires users to authenticate using a combination of a password and a one-time code sent to their mobile device.

Authorization

Authorization determines what actions an authenticated user or system is permitted to perform. This principle is enforced through role-based access control (RBAC) and permissions.

Example: A corporate network uses RBAC to grant employees access to specific resources based on their job roles, such as allowing managers to view financial reports but not modify them.

Non-Repudiation

Non-Repudiation ensures that a party in a communication or transaction cannot deny the authenticity of their signature or the sending of a message. This principle is achieved through digital signatures and audit logs.

Example: A legal document is signed using a digital signature, which provides proof that the signer cannot later deny having signed the document.

Least Privilege

Least Privilege restricts users and systems to the minimum level of access necessary to perform their tasks. This principle reduces the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.

Example: A system administrator is granted access only to the specific servers and applications necessary for their job, rather than having unrestricted access to the entire network.

Examples and Analogies

Consider confidentiality as a locked vault that only authorized personnel can access. Integrity is like a checksum that verifies the contents of a package have not been altered during transit.

Availability can be compared to a reliable transportation system that ensures goods are delivered on time. Authentication is akin to a secure door that requires a key and a fingerprint to unlock.

Authorization is like a security clearance that determines what areas of a building an employee can enter. Non-repudiation is similar to a notarized document that cannot be denied by the signer.

Least privilege is like a hotel keycard that only opens the doors to the guest's room and not the entire building.