Security Fundamentals Professional Certification (SFPC) Practice Test

The inability to deny you are the sender of an email would indicate a lapse in which attribute?

1. Non-Repudiation

2. Confidentiality

3. Integrity

4. Availability

The correct answer is: Non-Repudiation

Non-repudiation refers to the assurance that someone cannot deny the validity of their signature on a document or the sending of a message. In the context of an email, if an individual cannot deny being the sender, it signifies that there is a mechanism in place (such as digital signatures or other identity verification methods) that provides proof of the origin of the message. This attribute is critical in legal and business communications to ensure accountability and prevent disputes over the authenticity of messages. Confidentiality focuses on ensuring that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access, while integrity pertains to the assurance that the data has not been altered or tampered with during transmission. Availability ensures that information or resources are accessible when needed. None of these attributes directly address the aspect of denying authorship of a message, which is the essence of non-repudiation.