Integrity
Learn how distributed systems maintain data integrity by preventing unauthorized or undetected modifications. Understand the limitations of basic hash functions and explore advanced techniques like message authentication codes and digital signatures that combine integrity and authentication to secure data effectively.
Integrity refers to the process of preserving the accuracy and completeness of data over its entire lifecycle so that it cannot be modified in an unauthorized or undetected manner. This modification can happen maliciously (e.g., by an intermediary in the network) or inadvertently (e.g., because of a software or hardware failure).
Achieving integrity
Note: We have discussed in the previous chapter some techniques that can protect against accidental modifications, such as checksums and cyclic redundancy checks, so here we will ...