Which principle of information security is focused on ensuring that data is not altered by unauthorized individuals?

The principle of information security that focuses on ensuring that data is not altered by unauthorized individuals is integrity. Integrity refers to the accuracy and reliability of data, ensuring that it remains unchanged during storage or transmission unless modified by authorized entities. This principle is critical for maintaining trust in information systems, as it assures users that the data they are accessing has not been tampered with or corrupted in any way.

When integrity is compromised, it can lead to significant issues, such as misinformation, fraud, and loss of data credibility. Therefore, various mechanisms, such as checksums, hashing algorithms, and digital signatures, are employed to protect data integrity, ensuring that unauthorized changes can be detected and addressed.

While confidentiality relates to protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access and availability ensures that information is accessible to authorized users when needed, these principles do not specifically address the issue of unauthorized data alteration. Accountability, on the other hand, refers to ensuring that actions can be traced back to responsible parties, which indirectly supports integrity but does not directly focus on the prevention of unauthorized changes to data.