Ensure File Integrity: Techniques for Network Technicians

A network technician receives a new firmware update for a network device.

The technician wants to ensure the file has not been tampered with.

Which of the following techniques should the technician use to ensure the integrity of the file?

A.

Cyclic redundancy check

B.

System integrity check

C.

Hash comparison

D.

Root guard.

C.

The technique a network technician can use to ensure the integrity of the firmware file is Hash comparison.

Hashing is a technique that converts a file or a block of data into a fixed-sized string of characters, which is unique to that file or data block. The hash value is generated by a mathematical algorithm that processes the file or data block.

To ensure the file has not been tampered with, the technician can generate a hash value for the original firmware file using a hashing algorithm such as SHA-256 or MD5. Then, they can compare the generated hash value with the hash value of the downloaded firmware file. If the two hash values match, it means that the firmware file has not been tampered with during the download or transfer process.

On the other hand, if the hash values do not match, it indicates that the firmware file has been altered or corrupted. In this case, the technician should discard the file and obtain a new copy from a trusted source.

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is a method of detecting errors in data transmission by adding a checksum to the data, which is then checked by the receiver to ensure the data has not been corrupted. However, CRC is not a method for ensuring file integrity, as it does not generate a unique hash value for the file.

System integrity check and Root guard are techniques used to secure network devices from unauthorized access or tampering, but they do not ensure the integrity of firmware files.