What are the four principles of information security?

Information security has never been more crucial than it is today. With the increasing digitization of businesses, the growing complexity of cyber threats, and the rising adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), protecting data has become a strategic priority for companies across all sectors.

As technology advances, challenges have evolved, requiring more robust and adaptable approaches to ensure data security.

Generative AI illustrates this duality well: while it offers new tools to strengthen data protection, it also introduces unprecedented risks, requiring organizations to constantly reassess their security practices.

In light of this, the fundamental principles of information security—confidentiality, integrity, availability, and authenticity—remain the foundation of any protection strategy.

Want to know what these principles are and how you can use them to keep your company safe? Keep reading this article!

What is Information Security?

Before delving into the pillars, it is important to first understand what information security is.

Information security is a set of practices and measures aimed at protecting data and systems from unauthorized access, improper modifications, and unavailability.

In the digital world, data is a valuable asset and is therefore constantly under threat. For example, in the third quarter of 2024, Brazil recorded a 95% increase in cyberattacks against organizations, totaling 2,766 weekly attempts, according to Check Point Research.

In this scenario, companies must adopt strategies to ensure security in information systems, protecting their operations and customer privacy.

Read also:

• What are the costs of a security incident?

Why is Information Security Important?

Without proper information security planning, businesses become vulnerable to various types of attacks, such as phishing and data breaches. In addition to traditional risks, new threats have emerged, such as AI-based attacks, ransomware-as-a-service, and vulnerabilities in the Internet of Things (IoT), making data protection even more challenging.

These incidents can cause financial losses and irreparable damage to a company's reputation.

To mitigate these risks, many organizations are adopting measures such as continuous monitoring, proactive vulnerability detection, and bug bounty programs. Another essential aspect is compliance with regulations such as the LGPD (General Data Protection Law), avoiding fines and legal issues.

However, for these strategies to be effective, they must align with the core principles of information security, which form the solid foundation for any protection approach, ensuring that data and systems remain secure against increasingly sophisticated threats.

What Are the Pillars of Information Security?

Information security is based on four pillars to protect information and data: confidentiality, integrity, availability, and authenticity.

• Confidentiality: Ensures that information is accessible only to authorized individuals, preventing access by unauthorized people, entities, or processes.
• Integrity: Ensures the accuracy and reliability of information, meaning that data cannot be altered without authorization.
• Availability: Ensures that data and systems are accessible to authorized individuals whenever needed.
• Authenticity: Ensures the true origin of the information, confirming that data comes from a legitimate source.

Let's discuss each of these principles in more detail:

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the first principle of information security for a simple reason: it deals with data privacy, which is fundamental for any company that wants to ensure security.

This concept refers to actions taken to ensure that information is not stolen from systems through cyberattacks, espionage, unauthorized access, and other malicious practices.

To maintain confidentiality, various preventive actions can be taken, such as implementing bug bounty programs to enhance system security.

Why Is Confidentiality Important?

If information security management does not consider protecting confidential data, a company can face serious issues, including violations of the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) and reputational damage. Confidential information includes not only company data but also customer, partner, employee, and supplier data.

Breaches can result in financial losses and even legal actions against the organization. With the LGPD in effect, this has become an even greater risk due to frequent inspections.

Therefore, ensuring confidentiality is a fundamental principle of information security that should guide protection measures and be strictly followed by companies.

Integrity

This principle ensures that data maintains its original characteristics, meaning it cannot be altered improperly.

Integrity is compromised when information is modified or violated improperly. For example, if an employee alters a price to simulate a higher value than the actual one, it violates the principle of integrity.

Ways to maintain data integrity include:

• Using version control tools to revert documents to their original state before changes;
• Regularly verifying stored information across different systems to ensure it has not been altered;
• Performing frequent backups.

Why Is Integrity Important?

For systems to function correctly, data integrity must be preserved. Instructions, guidelines, and messages exchanged between departments must reach their recipients exactly as sent to avoid communication issues.

Additionally, a company that maintains data integrity earns customer trust.

Availability

For an information system to be useful, its data must be available when needed. Therefore, availability is another key principle of information security, ensuring continuous access for authorized users.

To achieve this, companies must ensure system stability and access through rapid maintenance, software patching, continuous updates, and crisis management plans.

Systems are vulnerable to natural disasters, cyberattacks, power outages, and various other threats to availability. Ensuring security also means making data consistently accessible.

Why Is Availability Important?

Imagine this scenario: you make a purchase from an e-commerce site and later need to check your order details, such as the date or payment amount.

If that information is unavailable, the company loses credibility, and you might wonder, "What happened to my data?"

Thus, availability is one of the simplest yet most important principles of information security, especially for customers.

Authenticity

The principle of authenticity ensures that information originates from a trusted source. In other words, it confirms that data is legitimate and free from manipulation or external interventions, such as impersonation by unauthorized individuals.

Authenticity validates a user’s authorization to access, transmit, and receive information, using logins, passwords, or biometric authentication. A secure system verifies user identities before granting access.

A simple way to confirm user authenticity is through CAPTCHAs or two-factor authentication (2FA).

Why Is Authenticity Important?

If a system does not confirm user authenticity, it becomes vulnerable to various types of attacks and fraud, such as unauthorized individuals posing as others to steal, leak, or access data they are not entitled to.

Both companies and customers benefit from secure systems based on authenticity, a key principle of information security.

What Is an Information Security Policy?

An information security policy is a set of guidelines that defines how a company protects its data and systems, aligning directly with the pillars of information security.

This policy should involve all areas of the business, ensuring that employees understand its importance and know how to act to mitigate risks.

To develop an effective policy, consider:

• Identifying and evaluating critical business data;
• Defining processes, permissions, and restrictions for employees;
• Strengthening the company's security culture;
• Conducting continuous training;
• Assigning responsibilities for data security;
• Implementing password policies;
• Establishing backup strategies;
• Enforcing access controls.

A key step in mitigating risks is investing in real-time cybersecurity protection. Programs like Bug Bounty stand out by continuously testing systems for vulnerabilities.

Partner with BugHunt to Strengthen Your Company's Security

BugHunt offers Bug Bounty programs for companies that want to continuously test their systems and identify vulnerabilities before cybercriminals exploit them.

With the support of information security experts, your company can enhance data protection and ensure compliance with best practices.

Contact us to learn how we can help keep your company secure!