What security guarantee ensures that intercepted messages cannot be read?

• A. Integrity
• B. Availability
• C. Confidentiality
• D. Encryption

Answer: (C)

Intercepted messages cannot be read is about confidentiality—the guarantee that information remains secret and accessible only to authorized parties. Encryption is the main method to enforce this, turning readable data into ciphertext so that without the proper key, it stays unreadable even if it’s intercepted. The other properties address different concerns: integrity is about detecting tampering, and availability is about ensuring access; neither directly guarantees that intercepted content cannot be read.