Cia

CIA: see Central Intelligence Agency.

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Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Principal intelligence and counterintelligence agency of the U.S., established in 1947 as a successor to the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services. The law limits its activities to foreign countries; it is prohibited from gathering intelligence on U.S. soil, which is a responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Officially a part of the U.S. Defense Department, it is responsible for preparing analyses for the National Security Council. Its budget is kept secret. Though intelligence gathering is its chief occupation, the CIA has also been involved in many covert operations, including the expulsion of Mohammad Mosaddeq from Iran (1953), the attempted Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba (1961), and support of the Nicaraguan contras in the 1980s.

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CIA

(1) (Confidentiality Integrity Authentication) The three important concerns with regards to information security. Encryption is used to provide confidentiality (privacy, secrecy). Digital signatures are used for message integrity (to ensure the message has not been tampered with). Passwords and digital certificates are used for authentication (to verify the authenticity of the sender). See Parkerian Hexad, computer security and information security.

(2) (CiA) See CAN bus.

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Cia

amnesia victim whose identity becomes doubtful when the same identity is claimed by an insane woman. [Ital. Drama: Pirandello As You Desire Me in Sobel, 35]

See : Confusion