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Front cover - IBM Redbooks

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1.3.1 Data integrity<br />

18 Lotus Security Handbook<br />

Data integrity can be summed up as the following:<br />

► The condition existing when data is unchanged from its source and has not<br />

been accidentally or maliciously modified, altered, or destroyed<br />

[INFOSEC-99]<br />

► The condition in which information is identically maintained during any<br />

operation, such as transfer, storage, and retrieval<br />

► The preservation of information for its intended use<br />

Specific to the <strong>IBM</strong> architecture, data integrity can also be said to provide<br />

detection of the unauthorized modification of data.<br />

Data integrity can be compromised in a number of ways, not all of them being<br />

specifically due to an error in the security services provided as part of the IT<br />

infrastructure. For example, lack of data integrity occurs when:<br />

► Human errors are made when information is entered<br />

► Transmission errors occur when information is transmitted from one computer<br />

to another<br />

► Software bugs occur or viruses actively target the information<br />

► Hardware malfunctions, such as hard disk crashes<br />

► Natural disasters occur, such as fires, floods, and earthquakes<br />

To ensure data integrity, organizations must allow for the use of data by<br />

authorized users and applications, as well as the transmission of data for remote<br />

processing, while at the same time, ensuring that this information is not altered<br />

by unauthorized users. Data integrity facilities can indicate whether information<br />

has been altered.<br />

There are many ways to minimize these threats to data integrity. These include,<br />

but are not limited to the following:<br />

► Backing up data regularly<br />

► Controlling access to information via security mechanisms<br />

► Designing user interfaces that prevent the input of invalid data<br />

► Using error detection and correction software when transmitting data

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