Data integrity

The data integrity service detects whether there has been unauthorized modification of data.

There are two ways in which data might be altered: accidentally, through hardware and transmission errors, or because of a deliberate attack. Many hardware products and transmission protocols have mechanisms to detect and correct hardware and transmission errors. The purpose of the data integrity service is to detect a deliberate attack.

The data integrity service aims only to detect whether data has been modified. It does not aim to restore data to its original state if it has been modified.

Access control mechanisms can contribute to data integrity insofar as data cannot be modified if access is denied. But, as with confidentiality, access control mechanisms are not effective in a networking environment.

Parent topic: Security concepts and mechanisms