Which security principle ensures information is only accessible to authorized individuals?

• A. Confidentiality
• B. Integrity
• C. Availability
• D. Authenticity

Answer: (A)

Safeguarding who can view data is the focus here: confidentiality. It means information is protected from being disclosed to anyone who isn’t authorized, so only approved individuals can access it. This is put into practice with authentication (verifying identity), authorization (granting the right permissions), and protections like encryption to keep data private both at rest and in transit.

Integrity is about data staying accurate and unaltered, and availability ensures data and services are accessible when needed. Authenticity relates to verifying the true source or speaker, which supports trust but isn’t the same as restricting access. Together these concepts cover different security concerns, but the principle that directly answers the question is confidentiality.