Which term best describes the assurance that a message originated from the claimed sender and was not altered in transit?

Which term best describes the assurance that a message originated from the claimed sender and was not altered in transit?

• A. Authenticity
• B. Confidentiality
• C. Availability
• D. Integrity

Answer: (A)

Authenticity is about proving who sent the message. It ensures that the data really comes from the claimed sender, and it helps guard against impersonation. When you verify authenticity, you’re checking that the message originated with that party and, if combined with integrity checks, that it hasn’t been tampered with in transit. The term that best captures the idea of origin and trust in the sender is authenticity; confidentiality focuses on keeping content secret, and availability is about access, while integrity specifically covers tampering but doesn’t address who sent it. In practice, methods like digital signatures provide authenticity and, through the signature, also help ensure integrity.

Authenticity is about proving who sent the message. It ensures that the data really comes from the claimed sender, and it helps guard against impersonation. When you verify authenticity, you’re checking that the message originated with that party and, if combined with integrity checks, that it hasn’t been tampered with in transit. The term that best captures the idea of origin and trust in the sender is authenticity; confidentiality focuses on keeping content secret, and availability is about access, while integrity specifically covers tampering but doesn’t address who sent it. In practice, methods like digital signatures provide authenticity and, through the signature, also help ensure integrity.