Which term describes ensuring data remains unchanged during transfer by preventing modifications?

• A. Integrity
• B. Confidentiality
• C. Encryption
• D. Hash

Answer: (A)

Ensuring data remains unchanged during transfer is about integrity. Integrity means the data you receive is exactly the data that was sent, with any tampering or corruption detected along the way. In practice, this is achieved by including a value derived from the data—such as a cryptographic hash, a MAC, or a digital signature—that the receiver recomputes and verifies. If the computed value matches, you can trust the data hasn’t been altered; if not, you know something changed during transit. This concept is different from confidentiality, which protects data from being read by unauthorized parties, and encryption, which is a method to achieve that confidentiality. A hash is a tool used to verify integrity but doesn't prevent modifications by itself; it needs to be used within an integrity-checking mechanism (often with a secure channel to transmit the hash or with a MAC/digital signature). So the best term for the idea of data staying unchanged during transfer is integrity.