What does confidentiality in information security refer to?

Confidentiality in information security is fundamentally about protecting sensitive information from being accessed or disclosed by unauthorized individuals or entities. This principle ensures that only those who have the appropriate permissions can view or handle the data.

By preventing unauthorized disclosure, confidentiality serves to protect personal privacy, safeguard organizational secrets, and maintain compliance with regulations. This aspect is crucial for preventing data breaches, loss of intellectual property, and other forms of information compromise that could occur if sensitive data falls into the wrong hands.

Understanding confidentiality is vital in contexts such as financial transactions, personal communications, and healthcare records, where the sensitivity of data necessitates strict controls on who can access it. Therefore, the emphasis on preventing unauthorized disclosure is what solidifies the concept of confidentiality in the broader framework of information security.