Which Security Control Prevents Modification of Sensitive PII Data?
A bank set up a new server that contains customers' PII. Which of the following should the bank use to make sure the sensitive data is not modified?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The question tests the difference between confidentiality controls (encryption, NAC) and integrity controls (FIM); the trap is assuming any security tool works for all data protections.
For protecting sensitive PII on a new server, File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) is the consensus choice because it detects unauthorized file modifications, unlike encryption or access controls which address different goals.
Choosing Full Disk Encryption (A) is common because encryption is often associated with protecting sensitive data, but encryption protects confidentiality (reading) not integrity (modifying).
Community Discussion (3 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) is designed to detect unauthorized changes to files by comparing current file states against a known, good baseline. Since the requirement is specifically to ensure sensitive data is not modified, FIM directly addresses data integrity. As comment [2] notes, FIM validates integrity using verification methods between current and baseline states. Community comments uniformly support answer C, with comment [1] highlighting that FIM identifies and alerts on any changes to files containing PII.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Full disk encryption (A) protects data at rest from being read by unauthorized parties but does not prevent authorized or malicious modification once the system is running. Network access control (B) regulates who can connect to the network but does not monitor file alterations after access is granted. User behavior analytics (D) detects anomalous user activities but is not specifically designed to validate file integrity or detect modifications to data files. Each option addresses a different security goal—confidentiality, access control, and behavioral detection—rather than integrity.Community Comment Notes
All three commenters agree that C is correct. Comment [1] explicitly says FIM's purpose is to monitor and detect unauthorized modifications. Comment [2] provides a formal definition of FIM as an internal control that validates integrity against a baseline. No dissenting views are present in the comments. The unanimous consensus reinforces that integrity monitoring is the distinct control needed in this scenario.Official Reference
Exam Strategy
For CompTIA Security+ questions, map the security goal to the control: confidentiality (encryption), integrity (FIM/hashing), availability (redundancy). Read the keyword 'not modified' as a direct indicator of integrity, and eliminate options that address other goals even if they sound protective.
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