Which term is defined as the act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals?

Which term is defined as the act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals?

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

Answer: (B)

Confidentiality is the practice of keeping information secret and accessible only to authorized people. It directly matches the idea of holding information in confidence and not releasing it to unauthorized individuals, which is why it’s the best fit. In security, protecting confidentiality involves controls like encryption, access restrictions, and the principle of least privilege to prevent leaks. By contrast, integrity is about keeping data accurate and unaltered, availability is about ensuring access when needed, and authentication is about verifying someone’s identity. So confidentiality specifically addresses preventing unauthorized disclosure.

Confidentiality is the practice of keeping information secret and accessible only to authorized people. It directly matches the idea of holding information in confidence and not releasing it to unauthorized individuals, which is why it’s the best fit. In security, protecting confidentiality involves controls like encryption, access restrictions, and the principle of least privilege to prevent leaks. By contrast, integrity is about keeping data accurate and unaltered, availability is about ensuring access when needed, and authentication is about verifying someone’s identity. So confidentiality specifically addresses preventing unauthorized disclosure.