CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ (CLO-002)Governance, Risk, Compliance and SecurityEasy
Two parties exchange a digitally signed cloud service contract. If one party later claims they never agreed to the terms, the digital signature can be used to prove that party did in fact sign it. Which security property does this demonstrate?
- ANon-repudiation
- BConfidentiality
- CAvailability
- DIntegrity
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Non-repudiation
Non-repudiation ensures that a party cannot deny having performed an action, such as signing a document, because a digital signature created with their private key provides verifiable proof of origin and consent.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Confidentiality protects data from unauthorized disclosure, not proof of authorship.
- C. Availability ensures systems and data are accessible when needed, unrelated to proving authorship.
- D. Integrity ensures data has not been altered, but does not by itself prove who created it.
Non-repudiation
A security property ensuring that a party cannot deny having performed an action, such as sending a message or signing a document, typically enforced via digital signatures.
- Achieved through digital signatures using private keys
- Provides proof of origin and authenticity
- Complements confidentiality, integrity, and availability
- Important for contracts and legal/financial transactions
Memory trick: 'You signed it, you can't un-sign it' — non-repudiation locks in accountability.