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Properties/attributes of secure communication

Short answer

Confidentiality (encryption), integrity (hash/MAC), authentication (certificates), non-repudiation (digital signature), and availability/access control ensure secure communication, protecting messages from eavesdropping, alteration, impersonation, and denial.

Explain briefly the desirable properties of secure communication (attributes of information security).

For two parties to communicate securely over an insecure network, the communication should have the following properties (the attributes of information security).

PropertyMeaningMechanism
ConfidentialityOnly the sender and the intended receiver can understand the message; an eavesdropper sees only unreadable dataEncryption (AES, RSA)
IntegrityThe message is not altered in transit, or any alteration is detectedHash functions, MAC, digital signature
AuthenticationBoth parties are sure of the identity of the other (no impersonation)Passwords, certificates, digital signatures
Non-repudiationA sender cannot later deny sending a messageDigital signature
AvailabilityNetwork and data are accessible to authorised users when neededRedundancy, firewalls, DoS protection
Access control / authorisationOnly permitted users can use a resourceACLs, roles

Example: Alice sends a payment order to the bank. Encryption keeps the amount secret, a hash detects a changed amount, a certificate shows that the bank is genuine and Alice's signature prevents her denying the order later.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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