Which technology monitors file integrity by generating a hash digest for files to detect changes?

• A. Anti-Malware
• B. Precise Methods
• C. Out of band (OOB)
• D. File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)

Answer: (D)

Monitoring file integrity focuses on detecting any changes to important files by using a cryptographic hash as a fingerprint. A File Integrity Monitoring system takes a baseline set of hashes for selected files and their metadata, then periodically recomputes hashes and compares them to the baseline. If a file is altered, its hash will differ, triggering an alert and allowing you to investigate tampering or unauthorized edits. This approach provides a clear, auditable way to ensure critical system files and configurations remain intact, which is essential for security and compliance.

Anti-malware, while valuable, looks for known malware signatures or suspicious behavior rather than continuously verifying file content against a stored baseline. Out of band refers to a separate communication channel, not a mechanism for monitoring file changes. The term Precise Methods isn’t a standard security technology for integrity checking. Therefore, the best fit for monitoring file integrity via hash digests is File Integrity Monitoring.