ISC2 CC Security Principles Practice Question
A security analyst implements a hashing algorithm to verify that a downloaded file has not been altered. Which security goal is being achieved?
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
✓
Integrity
Hashing ensures data integrity by detecting changes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Authentication
Why it's wrong here
Authentication verifies an identity claim, whereas a hash comparison verifies data integrity. It is tempting because hashing appears in password storage and challenge-response schemes, but here the analyst is confirming the file was not altered, which is integrity, not proof of who sent it.
- ✗
Availability
Why it's wrong here
Hashing detects modification, which upholds integrity, not availability. Availability concerns timely and reliable access to data and systems, so it would be the goal if the scenario involved redundancy, backups or denial-of-service resilience rather than verifying a downloaded file's unchanged state.
- ✓
Integrity
Why this is correct
Hashing produces a fixed-length digest that changes if even one bit of the file is modified, so recomputing and comparing it detects tampering. This directly satisfies the integrity goal of ensuring the downloaded file has not been altered in transit or at rest.
- ✗
Confidentiality
Why it's wrong here
Confidentiality prevents unauthorised disclosure, typically through encryption or access controls. It is tempting because hashing is a cryptographic primitive, yet it neither conceals file contents nor restricts access; the analyst is checking whether the file changed, which is integrity.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Key term
Hashing
Hashing is a one-way mathematical function that converts any input data into a fixed-length string of characters, called a hash or digest, which is used to verify data integrity and store passwords securely.
Key term
Integrity
Integrity is the assurance that data has not been altered or tampered with in an unauthorized way, preserving its accuracy and consistency from source to destination.
About these practice questions
This CC question is part of Courseiva's 989-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.