Discover the most effective control for safeguarding data integrity during system exchanges. Gain valuable insights for your CISA certification exam preparation.
Table of Contents
Question
Which of the following controls BEST ensures the integrity of data exchanged between two systems?
A. Data classification
B. Encryption
C. Hash values
D. Control totals
Answer
C. Hash values
Explanation
The control that best ensures the integrity of data exchanged between two systems is hash values.
Hash values are a highly effective means of ensuring data integrity during exchanges between systems. A hash value is a unique fixed-size string of characters generated by a mathematical algorithm, such as SHA-256 or MD5, which takes an input (like a file or message) and produces an output of a specific length.
When data is exchanged between two systems, a hash value is calculated for the original data before transmission. Upon receiving the data, the recipient system recalculates the hash value using the same algorithm and compares it with the original hash value. If the two hash values match, it confirms that the data has not been altered or corrupted during the exchange process.
Here’s why the other options are less suitable:
A. Data classification: While data classification is essential for identifying and categorizing data based on its sensitivity and criticality, it does not directly ensure data integrity during exchanges.
B. Encryption: Encryption is a crucial security control that protects data confidentiality by converting plaintext into ciphertext. However, its primary focus is not on ensuring data integrity. Encrypted data can still be altered, although the changes may not be readable without decryption.
D. Control totals: Control totals are used to verify the completeness and accuracy of data processing by comparing the sum of a set of values before and after processing. While they can help detect errors or discrepancies, they are not the most effective control for ensuring data integrity during exchanges between systems.
In summary, hash values provide the best assurance of data integrity during system exchanges by allowing the recipient to verify that the received data matches the original data sent by the source system.
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