CIA Triad Simplified: Automated Workflow for Lawyers

Nearly every data-protection law—GDPR, etc.—rests on a deceptively simple framework: the CIA triad

What exactly is the CIA triad and how can legal teams satisfy it without drowning in admin? Let’s break it down, then map each pillar to practical controls you can deploy today.

Confidentiality: Keep Prying Eyes Out

Definition

Only authorized parties should be able to read the data—no one else.

Typical threats

• Stolen laptops or phones
• Compromised cloud credentials
• Insider misuse

Controls that work

• AES-256 encryption at rest to protect stored documents, audio and video
• TLS in transit so nothing travels over the wire in plaintext
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and least-privilege roles (Admin, Editor, Viewer)
• Optional end-to-end encryption (E2EE) so even the SaaS provider can’t decrypt sensitive matter files

Integrity: Prove Nothing Was Altered

Definition

Data should arrive exactly as it was sent and remain unmodified unless authorized.

Typical threats

• Silent edits to a Deed of Assignment months after execution
• Malware or ransomware flipping bits in storage
• Accidental overwrites by well-meaning colleagues

Controls that work

• Cryptographic hashes anchored on a public blockchain—alter one bit, the hash changes and the ledger exposes it
• Tamper-evident audit trails recording who uploaded, viewed or exported each file
• WORM (Write Once, Read Many) retention preventing stealth edits in cold storage
• File-level integrity certificates you can hand to a judge or regulator

Availability: Produce Evidence on Demand

Definition
Authorized users must be able to access data when they need it—especially under a discovery deadline or regulator’s subpoena.

Typical threats

• Single-site data-centre outage• Accidental deletion with no backups• Ransomware locking every local share