(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

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What is the primary use of HMAC?

Data Integrity
Data Encryption
Data Compression
Data Signing

The correct answer is: Data Integrity

HMAC, or Hash-based Message Authentication Code, is primarily utilized for ensuring data integrity. It combines a cryptographic hash function with a secret key to produce a unique message digest that verifies both the integrity and authenticity of a message. This process helps confirm that the data has not been altered and that it originates from a verified source, thus maintaining the integrity of the information transmitted. While data encryption, data compression, and data signing are also important concepts in cybersecurity, they fulfill different roles. Data encryption focuses on converting information into a secure format to protect it from unauthorized access. Data compression is aimed at reducing the size of data for efficient storage and transmission. Data signing is associated with verifying the source of the data and establishing its authenticity through digital signatures. In contrast, HMAC specifically targets the integrity aspect of data, making it invaluable in scenarios where ensuring that data has not been tampered with is crucial.