Confidentiality: the act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals. Which option reflects this definition?

• A. The act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals.
• B. The property that information is not disclosed to system entities unless they have been authorized to access the information.
• C. Ensuring timely and reliable access to information.
• D. Guarding against improper information modification or destruction.

Answer: (A)

Confidentiality means keeping information private and not sharing it with unauthorized people. The option that repeats this exact idea—holding information in confidence and not releasing it to those who aren’t authorized—best matches the definition. The other statements describe related security goals (availability, integrity) or mechanisms (restricting access to system entities) but do not define confidentiality itself.