Which cybersecurity method ensures that data remains unchanged during transmission?

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

In cybersecurity, data integrity means that data has not been altered, tampered with, or corrupted during storage or transmission. Hashing is the primary method used to help ensure integrity. A hash function takes an input (such as a file or message) and produces a fixed-size hash value or message digest. If the data changes in any way, even slightly, the resulting hash value will also change, revealing that the data was modified.

Why D is correct: Hashing supports verification that data remains unchanged during transmission by comparing the hash calculated at the source with the hash calculated at the destination. Matching values indicate the data has not been altered.

Why the others are incorrect:

A. Encryption – Encryption protects confidentiality by making data unreadable to unauthorized parties, but by itself it does not prove that the data wasn’t modified.

B. Access control lists (ACLs) – ACLs regulate who can access what, but they do not verify whether data was changed during transmission.

C. Authentication – Authentication verifies who is accessing a system or resource (identity), not whether the data content remained intact in transit.