Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Which security concept is most closely associated with ensuring data has not been altered in an unauthorized way?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Integrity
This is correct because integrity is concerned with preventing or detecting unauthorized changes to data.
B
Distractor review
Availability
This is wrong because availability focuses on whether systems and data can be accessed when needed.
C
Distractor review
Accounting
This is wrong because accounting records activity; it does not define whether data itself has been altered.
D
Distractor review
Confidentiality
This is wrong because confidentiality focuses on preventing unauthorized disclosure rather than unauthorized modification.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A frequent exam trap is mistaking confidentiality for integrity because both relate to data security. Confidentiality prevents unauthorized users from viewing data, but it does not guarantee that the data has not been altered. Another trap is confusing availability with integrity; availability ensures systems and data are accessible when needed but does not protect against unauthorized changes. Candidates might also select accounting, which tracks user activity but does not ensure data correctness. Understanding these distinctions is crucial to avoid selecting the wrong security concept under exam pressure.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
Data integrity is a fundamental security principle that ensures information remains accurate, consistent, and unaltered during storage, processing, and transmission. In networking, integrity protects data from unauthorized modification, whether accidental or malicious, by using mechanisms such as hashing, digital signatures, and checksums. These tools help verify that the data received matches the data sent, preserving trustworthiness in communication and storage. In the CCNA context, integrity is distinct from confidentiality and availability. While confidentiality restricts access to data to authorized users, integrity focuses on preventing unauthorized changes to data. Cisco devices implement integrity checks in protocols like IPsec and SSH, which use cryptographic hashes to detect tampering. Understanding integrity helps candidates differentiate it from related concepts like accounting, which logs activity but does not guarantee data correctness. A common exam trap is confusing integrity with confidentiality or availability. Candidates may incorrectly select confidentiality because it also deals with security, or availability because it ensures access to data. However, integrity specifically addresses the correctness and trustworthiness of data, which is critical in network security to prevent data corruption or malicious alteration. Practically, ensuring integrity helps maintain reliable routing information and secure management access in Cisco networks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Integrity ensures that data remains accurate and unaltered during transmission or storage in a Cisco network environment.
- Confidentiality prevents unauthorized users from accessing data but does not guarantee that data has not been modified.
- Availability guarantees that network resources and data are accessible when needed but does not protect against data tampering.
- Accounting records user activities and network events but does not verify the correctness or integrity of the data itself.
- Cisco security protocols like IPsec use cryptographic hashes to verify data integrity and detect unauthorized changes.
- Integrity verification helps maintain reliable routing information and secure device management in Cisco networks.
- Candidates must distinguish integrity from confidentiality and availability to correctly answer CCNA security questions.
- Integrity focuses on preventing or detecting unauthorized data modification, which is critical for trustworthy network operations.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A router learns the same prefix from both OSPF and EIGRP. Which route is installed by default?
Question 2
A router shows this output: R1#show ip ospf neighbor Neighbor ID Pri State Dead Time Address Interface 10.1.1.2 1 FULL/DR 00:00:34 192.168.12.2 GigabitEthernet0/0 10.1.1.3 1 2WAY/DROTHER 00:00:39 192.168.12.3 GigabitEthernet0/0 Which statement is correct?
Question 3
What is the OSPF metric called?
Question 4
A non-root switch has two uplinks toward the root bridge. One path has a lower total STP cost than the other. What role will the lower-cost uplink have?
Question 5
A router interface applies this ACL inbound: 10 deny tcp any any eq 80 20 permit ip any any A user reports that web browsing to a server by IP address fails, but ping works. Which statement best explains the behavior?
Question 6
A router learns route 198.51.100.0/24 from OSPF with AD 110 and also has a static route to the same prefix configured with AD 150. Which route is installed?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-301 question test?
Integrity ensures that data remains accurate and unaltered during transmission or storage in a Cisco network environment.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Integrity — The concept is integrity. In plain language, integrity is about making sure data remains accurate and trustworthy and that unauthorized changes can be detected or prevented. If confidentiality is about stopping the wrong people from seeing data, integrity is about stopping the wrong people from changing it. Availability, meanwhile, focuses on access to systems and services when needed. This distinction matters because CCNA questions often group security vocabulary together and rely on candidates to separate them cleanly. Integrity is not the same as authentication or accounting, and it is not simply about whether a service is online. It specifically focuses on the correctness and trustworthiness of data or system state. That is why integrity is the correct answer here.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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