Glossary

Purpose

As with any discipline or field, Information Security (often referred to as cyber security) has its own unique vocabulary. While this Handbook aims to provide cyber security resources in plain language, at times it is necessary to reference the underlying concept or simply there might not be an adequate synonym.

Audience

faculty researchers Admin staff IT staff students

Glossary

A

Availability

• Availability refers to ensuring that data is accessible and useable by authorized users when needed. Whether you are collaborating with colleagues across the University’s three campus or across the world, or perhaps just working remotely, not being able to access your data when you want to can reduce productivity, impact sponsor deadlines, or simply be a nuisance.   

• https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/availability

C

CIA Triad

• The CIA triad is a foundational model within Information Security which outlines three critical points of consideration—confidentiality, integrity, and availability—when it comes to efforts to protect information and digital assets, such administrative data or your research data and the systems they are stored on.  

• https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/cia

Confidentiality

• Confidentiality refers to protecting data from access by or disclosure to unauthorized individuals or entities and is especially important for sensitive and non-public data. While your research results may often be made public through publication or other data sharing arrangements, confidentiality might be a necessary consideration during active research, particularly in the protection of intellectual property prior to its publication or patenting or as a requirement outlined by a partner or the research ethics boards.   

• https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/confidentiality

I

Integrity

• Integrity refers to protecting data from unauthorized alteration or destruction. While this differs from scientific, research, or academic integrity, all speak to ways in which trust and confidence can be maintained, whether within the data itself or in the enterprises that produce it. The integrity of your research data is of significant importance, whether during active research, publication, or deposit, as alterations or destruction can result in data loss, time loss, or reputational harm.  

• https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/integrity

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Additional help

General

Contact us | Information Security (IS)

Researchers

Research Information Security - Information Security at University of Toronto

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