The scenario describes implementing encryption standards for a network protocol. The primary purpose of encryption is to convert data into a coded format (ciphertext) to prevent unauthorized access. This directly addresses the principle of Confidentiality, which is concerned with preventing the unauthorized disclosure of information. By ensuring network protocols meet encryption standards, the company is protecting the secrecy of the data as it travels across the network, making it unreadable to anyone without the proper decryption key.

A. Integrity: Integrity ensures data is not altered without authorization. While some cryptographic methods provide integrity, its primary tool is hashing, not just encryption.

B. Consistency: Consistency is a principle related to database systems (ACID properties) and is not a component of the information security CIA triad.

C. Availability: Availability ensures that systems and data are accessible when needed. Encryption does not provide availability; lost keys can actually prevent access.

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2020). Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations (NIST Special Publication 800-53

Revision 5). U.S. Department of Commerce. In Appendix D

"Glossary

" confidentiality is defined as "Preserving authorized restrictions on information access and disclosure..." Encryption is a primary mechanism for achieving this. (See page 218).

2. Saltzer

J. H.

& Schroeder

M. D. (1975). The Protection of Information in Computer Systems. Proceedings of the IEEE

63(9)

1278–1308. This foundational paper outlines security principles

where confidentiality is described as the prevention of unauthorized disclosure of information

a goal directly served by encryption. (See Section I.A.1

page 1279).

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) OpenCourseWare. (2018). 6.033 Computer System Engineering

Spring 2018. Lecture 19: Security. The lecture notes explicitly define confidentiality as preventing unauthorized disclosure of information and list encryption as the primary mechanism to achieve it. (See slide 4

"Security goals").