The CIA Triad

Information Security is all about the CIA Triad -- Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. Often when we talk about Information Security we generalize it to IT Security which simply limits the overall general definition of Information Security. Information Security is the ensuring of Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of Information System. Information System is any system which processes data -- even a sheet on which attendance is being taken makes an Information System.

Understanding the CIA triad helps us understand the Information Security posture of any Information System. The best way to absorb the definitions of Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability is to know their antonyms:

Confidentiality --> Disclosure
Integrity --> Alteration
Availability --> Inaccessibility

The disclosure of sensitive information to an unauthorized entity would hurt the Confidentiality. The illegal alteration in original information would hurt the Integrity. The inability to access the information when and where needed would hurt the Availability. That means...

1. Confidentiality is ensuring non-disclosure of information.
2. Integrity is ensuring accurateness of information.
3. Availability is ensuring access to information when and where needed.

The CIA Triad is pretty much dependent on each other as well. The breach of either C, I or A might let to the breach of other CIA Triad.

Laughing at what we cannot fathom

Smartness is overrated. You cannot be smart and yet successful. Similarly you cannot be successful yet smart. Were those people not smart who laughed at Galileo saying earth revolved around the Sun? Was Galileo smart? What really makes you smart? Thinking like the norm or thinking contrary to the norm? Whatever the case, smartness is overrated. What really matters is accepting one's lack of knowledge in understanding the unfathomable and trusting one's heart with what one believes in till the white light dawns -- making one change his / her belief.

Usually being humans we laugh at what we cannot understand or what we do not want to understand or what we think is ridiculous without going into intrinsic minute details or what we assume to be otherwise. Knowledge is a very good tool to handle one's lack of understanding -- the more you are knowledgeable the more you understand, I humbly believe. There is this saying which I love to use every now and then and it would be perfect time to use it right now... "Not ignorance but ignorance of ignorance is death of knowledge." Which means ignorance itself is not pitiable but rejecting the very fact that you are ignorant is pitiful.

So the next time someone says... The heart can think on its own. Air stores the spoken words which can be retrieved later on. There are planets like earth having living beings. Humans can regrow their organs. Do not laugh, respect the idea and keep silent. Remember, humans can fly now, O genius!

Appreciation Matters

There are many little things which we tend to ignore that matter a lot and have prolonged consequences. It is a matter of very subtle understanding to know that we get the most crushed and disheartened from the people who are very close to us. How often do we shout at our siblings just for the sake of shouting. We always belittle their ambitions for no good reason. We seldom support their success and always highlight their failures. The confidence of an individual is shattered the most not by anybody else but his/her own parents, brothers and sisters. Do not do that! Do not touch that! Look what you have done! Stay out of my room! Do not play here! We most of the times give importance to material things rather than our own blood. Is your laptop more important than the heart you broke of your little sibling just for touching it? Certainly not.

The words we use during our family conversations can encourage and discourage someone and somehow we negate this fact a lot. Often more than we notice we do not appreciate the relationships that are very close to us. We take them for granted. It might be because we get such precious relationships without much conscious effort. A simple gesture like thank you on receiving a glass of water or cup of tea can spread instant gratification. If we start using words like please, kindly, sorry and start taking responsibilities of our deeds the world around us would become a touch better for certain. We all like to be appreciated be it parents, siblings, teachers or any body else around us. How often do we appreciate the garbage collector of our street? How often do we appreciate the sweeper of our office? These are the little tiny things whom appreciation can give a pleasing feeling lasting for eternity.

Please the next time someone does a good thing for you surprise him/her by saying thank you! And yes, thank you for reading this. :)

Self Belief

We all feel gloomy and redundant in many phases of our lives. In those trifling moments we tend to go into our shells and want to spend some time there. The good with the bad and the bad with the good are part and parcel of life. We have to live with what we get that is for sure. Somehow in such phases we underestimate the power of sharing. When we are feeling down we do not want to share or talk about it. From my experience the mind that creates a problem has difficulty solving it. That is where sharing helps a lot. When you share you start feeling lighter. The burden held by one is shared by more. Moreover, you might get a solution of your problem through sharing as well.

What really gets us going? Is it Hope? Inspiration? Motivation? Faith? Belief? Trust? Ultimately it is a mixture of all these that gets us up each time we fall. Falling down is not an issue at all but not getting up and giving up is where the true mantra of life and living is lost. When we are feeling down that is where our hopes, inspirations, motivations, faith in our thinking, belief in ourselves and trust in our abilities kick in and make us stand and deliver to the best we can once more. Having something that we can always rely on in hard times would always breathe new life in us. That reliable force and phenomena is none other than our own belligerent self.

Mere Human

Isn't it so that we are right even when we are wrong? Why do we impart such ignorant behavior? Why do we tend to be like that? Why do not we just accept our mistake and let it go? Is it due to lack of knowledge? Is it a manufacturing fault or something? If it really is a universal fact then anything associated with humans has the same chance of being wrong as being right.

Let us take some generic examples here...

1) It is perplexing to know that Science with all its glory is still in constant process of evolution or I dare must say confusion. Classical Physics and Modern Physics are the epitome of this perplexity.

2) How many religions are there in the world? Can they all be right? They certainly are for each of their followers. Islam is right for Muslims as Christianity is for Christians.

3) All these arguments of whether homeopathy is right or allopathy holds an upper hand certainly give murky view of ayurvedic medicines.

The human thought process is not consistent. There is nothing permanent about what is being said, believed and done. What is taboo today would be altogether a common commodity for coming generations.

We all are mere humans after all!

Then and there

Time is of essence. Is it not? How many of us know how long we'll live? How many of us will actually live if we knew how much more we have to live? I know my answers. Do you know yours?

There are moments in life which make or break us. These very moments define our destinies. Still we believe in luck and fortune. Opportunities knocking at the door is one thing. Making opportunities knock at the door is another. Which one would you prefer?

Breaking the heart is easy. Mending the broken relation is tough. The former gives you aches for life the latter gives you internal satisfaction. I know what I did? Do you know what you are doing?

Life is short.
Live it up.
Enjoy.
Have fun.
Smile.
Love.
Give it all you have!

In the end it is not the years in the life that matter but the life in years.

The Etiquettes

It is not good to be judgmental or over critical of others. But still I am going to write some words of wisdom for the one who seeks them.

1) I have observed it a plenty that people strangely use chatting linguistics when communicating at a professional level! Well well well, for me the candidate who talks to me in such special words might not lose his/her credibility what so ever, but not every body is like me. It is sensible to use original words no matter what, do run a dictionary check on your words as well to see if every thing is good and pleasant. On a side note, I never use the short version of languages even during my personal chats.

2) Talking more about communicating at a professional level, the emails you send develop a sketch of how you are. It kind of becomes a major evaluation criterion of your personality. It never costs a penny to be courteous, does it? Always use the words... Please, Kindly and Thank you in your emails. These simple courteous words echo in eternity, trust me!

3) Many times it happens so that when you send an email, message or sms to someone, that person does not move a muscle to reply to your concern. That for me is utterly disappointing characteristic anyone could ever have! It amazes me to no extent that why would one not reply to my messages or even calls for that matter. You cannot be as busy as Bill Gates, can you be? Even Bill Gates tends to your mails and messages, then who am I or you to not reply to anyone's messages? May be it is the trademark of successful people to reply to any queries no matter what!

4) There is fine line between cockiness and confidence. My experience during taking interviews says that I would prefer a humble candidate any day over a one who has some attitude problem. When you are giving interviews, never forget that you are being evaluated in every way and not just on the basis of your answers.

So lets come to the conclusion...

Never underestimate the power of a written or spoken word!
Always be clear, concise and courteous.
Always be concerned.
Be positive with your foot firmly planted on earth.