Which of the following indicates that the confidentiality of information was compromised?

Scenario 1: HealthGenic is a pediatric clinic that monitors the health and growth of individuals from infancy to early adulthood using a web-based medical software. The software is also used to schedule appointments, create customized medical reports, store patients’ data and medical history, and communicate with all the [^involved parties, including parents, other physicians, and the medical laboratory staff.

Last month, HealthGenic experienced a number of service interruptions due to the increased number of users accessing the software Another issue the company faced while using the software was the complicated user interface, which the untrained personnel found challenging to use.

The top management of HealthGenic immediately informed the company that had developed the software about the issue. The software company fixed the issue; however, in the process of doing so, it modified some files that comprised sensitive information related to HealthGenic’s patients. The modifications that were made resulted in incomplete and incorrect medical reports and, more importantly, invaded the patients’ privacy.

Based on the scenario above, answer the following question:

Which of the following indicates that the confidentiality of information was compromised?
A . Service interruptions due to the increased number of users
B . Invasion of patients’ privacy
C . Modification of patients’ medical reports

View Answer

Answer: B

Explanation:

Confidentiality of information is the property that information is not made available or disclosed to unauthorized individuals, entities, or processes. In other words, confidentiality ensures that only those who are authorized to access the information can do so. In the scenario, the confidentiality of information was compromised when the software company modified some files that contained sensitive information related to HealthGenic’s patients. This modification resulted in the invasion of patients’ privacy, which means that their personal and medical information was exposed to unauthorized parties. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

Reference: ISO/IEC 27001:2013, Information technology ― Security techniques ― Information security management systems ― Requirements, clause 3.14.