Information assurance: which of the following are valid data security threats that organizations must plan for?

Introduction / Context:
Data security encompasses confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Threats arise from accidents, malicious actors, and system faults. A comprehensive risk assessment recognizes diverse vectors so that controls, backups, and monitoring can be designed appropriately.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Options include failures (availability), privacy invasion (confidentiality), and fraudulent manipulation (integrity).
• The question asks which are data security threats.
• Scope includes technical and human factors.

Concept / Approach:
Hardware failure threatens availability; privacy invasion threatens confidentiality; fraud threatens integrity. Since all three map to core security objectives (the CIA triad), each is a legitimate threat category. Therefore, “All of the above” is correct, implying a need for layered defenses: redundancy, access controls, encryption, and audit trails.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Industry frameworks (e.g., NIST, ISO 27001) explicitly address availability, confidentiality, and integrity through controls that mitigate exactly these threat types.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Common Pitfalls:
Over-focusing on cyberattacks and neglecting physical failures or insider fraud; or conflating privacy invasion with mere policy violations rather than concrete security threats.

Final Answer:
All of the above