What cybersecurity objective does full-disk encryption primarily support?

Full-disk encryption primarily supports confidentiality by ensuring that the data stored on a computer's hard drive is protected from unauthorized access. When data is encrypted, it is transformed into a format that can only be read or decrypted by someone who possesses the appropriate key or password. This means that even if an unauthorized person gains physical access to the hard drive, they would not be able to interpret or use the data without the decryption key.

Confidentiality is a core principle of cybersecurity, aimed at protecting sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure. Full-disk encryption is particularly effective in safeguarding personal data, sensitive corporate information, and other confidential materials by rendering the data unreadable to anyone who is not authorized to access it.

Alternative objectives such as integrity, availability, and accountability relate to different aspects of information security. Integrity ensures that data remains accurate and unaltered by unauthorized parties, availability guarantees that data is accessible to authorized users when required, and accountability is about keeping track of user actions and ensuring compliance with policies. However, these objectives do not directly relate to the primary function of full-disk encryption, which is to keep the contents of the disk confidential.