200-201 Security Concepts Practice Question
An organization wants to ensure that a received email genuinely came from the claimed sender and has not been altered. Which cryptographic mechanism provides both authentication and integrity?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between a mechanism (digital signature) and the supporting infrastructure (PKI), leading candidates to mistakenly select PKI because they associate it with certificates and authentication.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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Digital signature
A digital signature uses the sender's private key to sign the message, and the recipient verifies it with the sender's public key. This process provides authentication (proving the sender's identity) and integrity (detecting any alteration) because any change to the message invalidates the signature. Hash functions alone provide integrity but not authentication, while PKI is the infrastructure that supports digital signatures but is not the mechanism itself.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Digital signature
Why this is correct
Digital signatures use the sender's private key, providing authentication and integrity.
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Hash function
Why it's wrong here
A hash provides integrity but not authentication of the sender.
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Public key infrastructure (PKI)
Why it's wrong here
PKI is the framework that supports digital signatures, not the mechanism itself.
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Symmetric encryption
Why it's wrong here
Symmetric encryption provides confidentiality but not authentication or integrity by itself.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.