Which CIA triad element is best represented by checksums?

Which CIA triad element is best represented by checksums?

• A. Confidentiality
• B. Availability
• C. Integrity
• D. Authentication

Answer: (C)

Checksums are a way to detect whether data has been altered during storage or transmission. By computing a short fingerprint of the data and rechecking it after transfer, you can confirm that the content is unchanged. If the checksum matches, you’re confident the data integrity remains intact; if it doesn’t, the data may have been corrupted or tampered with. This aligns with the integrity aspect of the CIA triad, which is all about ensuring data remains accurate and trustworthy. Checksums don’t hide or encrypt the data (that would be confidentiality), they don’t ensure that the system or data is always available (that’s availability), and they don’t verify who created or sent the data (that’s authentication). So, the best represented CIA triad element by checksums is integrity.

Checksums are a way to detect whether data has been altered during storage or transmission. By computing a short fingerprint of the data and rechecking it after transfer, you can confirm that the content is unchanged. If the checksum matches, you’re confident the data integrity remains intact; if it doesn’t, the data may have been corrupted or tampered with.

This aligns with the integrity aspect of the CIA triad, which is all about ensuring data remains accurate and trustworthy. Checksums don’t hide or encrypt the data (that would be confidentiality), they don’t ensure that the system or data is always available (that’s availability), and they don’t verify who created or sent the data (that’s authentication).

So, the best represented CIA triad element by checksums is integrity.