Which method is employed to confirm that data has not been altered during transmission?

Hashing is employed to confirm that data has not been altered during transmission. When data is transmitted, a hash function processes the data and generates a fixed-size string of characters, which is unique to the input data. This hash acts as a digital fingerprint. Upon receiving the data, the receiver can compute the hash of the received data and compare it to the hash sent along with it. If both hashes match, it indicates that the data has remained unchanged during transmission. This method is widely used in verifying data integrity, as even a minor alteration in the input data will result in a completely different hash value.

While encryption secures data, its primary purpose is to protect the confidentiality of the information being transmitted rather than to verify integrity. Signaling refers to the methods used in communication to indicate the transfer of data but does not relate to confirming data integrity. Compression is aimed at reducing the size of data for efficient transmission and does not serve to validate whether the data has been altered.