Software Architect's Handbook

Confidentiality

Software applications should protect confidentiality. The information that a software application manages has value to its users and to the organization that created the application. Confidentiality involves preventing unauthorized individuals from accessing information.

The application must protect its data, particularly when the data is private and personal. This includes when data is in any of the three states of information. Information can be vulnerable to eavesdropping while it is being transmitted between services or authorized parties.