IPA IP 2022 Question 72

Topic: Security

A question IPA Japan published in 令和4年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問72, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.

Same question on ITPEC: Oct 2025 Q41

Which of the following is the appropriate combination of damage by incidents (i) through (iii), and confidentiality, integrity, and availability in information security?

(i)A website is taken down by a DDoS attack.(ii)Inaccurate data is entered because of a typing mistake on a keyboard.(iii)Personal information is leaked because a PC is infected with malware.
Option(i)(ii)(iii)

Explanation

(i) Availability, (ii) Integrity, (iii) Confidentiality — match each incident to the property of information it damages.

  • •(i) A DDoS attack floods the website until it goes down, so legitimate users cannot reach it when they need it: availability is lost.
  • •(ii) A typing mistake stores data that is not correct: the data is no longer accurate and complete, so integrity is damaged. Integrity is harmed by accidents as well as by attacks.
  • •(iii) Malware leaks personal information to people who are not authorized to see it: confidentiality is lost.

Answer (a)

Why not others:

  • •(b) — swaps (ii) and (iii): wrong data is an accuracy problem, not a disclosure, and a leak discloses data without changing it
  • •(c) — swaps (i) and (ii): a site that is down has lost availability, while its data may be intact; a typing mistake does not stop the data from being used
  • •(d) — gets all three wrong: a site taken down is not a disclosure, and a leak does not stop the data from being available

Key rule: Ask what the incident took away: access when needed is availability, accuracy and completeness is integrity, and secrecy from unauthorized people is confidentiality.

Security · AI-written, may contain errors

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This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.