A hospital's electronic health record system calculates a cryptographic hash of each patient record on save, stores the hash separately, and re-verifies it on every read. Which CIA triad property is this control PRIMARILY designed to assure?
- AConfidentiality, because hashing scrambles the underlying patient data so that only authorised clinicians can recover it.
- BAvailability, because the verification step ensures the patient record can always be retrieved during a clinical workflow.
- CIntegrity, because a verified hash on every read detects any unauthorised modification of the stored patient record. Correct
- DAuthenticity, because the hash establishes which clinician originally created the patient record being read.
Why A is wrong: A cryptographic hash is a one-way function and does not conceal the underlying record; the record itself remains stored in readable form. Confidentiality would require encryption, not hashing.
Why B is wrong: Availability concerns whether the record is reachable when needed. Hash verification can actually block access if the hash fails, so the control does not primarily target availability.
Why C is correct: Integrity is the assurance that data has not been altered in an unauthorised way. Comparing a stored hash to a freshly computed hash on each read is a standard integrity-checking mechanism, so any tampering will be detected.
Why D is wrong: A plain hash carries no identity information about the author. Authenticity of authorship would require a digital signature or another binding to a verified identity.