Which data classification level indicates documents may be highly confidential or only confidential?

Which data classification level indicates documents may be highly confidential or only confidential?

• A. Unclassified
• B. Secret
• C. Confidential
• D. Restricted

Answer: (C)

Data classification levels tell you how sensitive information is and what protections and access controls it requires. Documents labeled as confidential are safeguarded because their disclosure could cause harm, but they’re not at the highest risk level like secret. This makes confidential the best fit for items that may be highly confidential or only confidential: the label clearly signals that protection is needed and access should be restricted to authorized people, with appropriate controls such as need-to-know, encryption, and proper handling. Unclassified would imply little or no protection, which isn’t appropriate for items that require safeguarding. Secret denotes a higher level of sensitivity than what’s described here. Restricted is used in some policies for additional controls and can be positioned differently depending on the framework, but the middle tier label that matches the notion of requiring protection without the highest level is confidential.

Data classification levels tell you how sensitive information is and what protections and access controls it requires. Documents labeled as confidential are safeguarded because their disclosure could cause harm, but they’re not at the highest risk level like secret. This makes confidential the best fit for items that may be highly confidential or only confidential: the label clearly signals that protection is needed and access should be restricted to authorized people, with appropriate controls such as need-to-know, encryption, and proper handling.

Unclassified would imply little or no protection, which isn’t appropriate for items that require safeguarding. Secret denotes a higher level of sensitivity than what’s described here. Restricted is used in some policies for additional controls and can be positioned differently depending on the framework, but the middle tier label that matches the notion of requiring protection without the highest level is confidential.