Glossary / concepts acsc-glossary

Integrity

The record is what authorised people made it. Quiet alteration is still a breach.

CIA triadThe CIA triad: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. Three properties of information security, not a slogan. Lose one and the system is already failing even if the dashboard is green.ANDANDCConfidentialityauthorised eyes onlyIIntegritywritten by the right handAAvailabilitythere when work needs itCIA TRIAD / THREE PROPERTIESLose one pillar and the system is already failing.Check every control against all three — or it is decoration.

Integrity means data is created, changed, or removed only by authorised people and processes. Checksums, signed updates, locked audit logs, and change control exist for this reason.

A ransomware encrypt is an integrity hit. So is a helpful intern pasting over the production spreadsheet. Intent is optional; the property still broke.

If you cannot tell who last wrote a file, you will not be able to tell a defender's story when you need one.

Fact source: ASD's ACSC glossary.