A checksum is classified as which type of control?

The correct answer is D. Detective control. A checksum is a detective control. It works by computing a value from data at one point in time and then recomputing it later to detect whether the data has been altered, corrupted, or tampered with. It does not prevent errors or unauthorized changes from occurring (so it is…

Submitted by brentm· Apr 18, 2026Protection of Information Assets

Question

Options

ACorrective control
BAdministrative control
CPreventive control
DDetective control

How the community answered

(43 responses)

A
5% (2)
C
2% (1)
D
93% (40)

Explanation

A checksum is a detective control. It works by computing a value from data at one point in time and then recomputing it later to detect whether the data has been altered, corrupted, or tampered with. It does not prevent errors or unauthorized changes from occurring (so it is not preventive), it does not fix problems (so it is not corrective), and it is not a policy or procedure (so it is not administrative). Detection is its sole function - flagging that something has gone wrong after the fact.

Topics

#Checksums#Control types#Detective controls#Information integrity

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