T 0.46 Loss of Integrity of Sensitive Information

The integrity of information can be impaired by various causes, such as by manipulation, misconduct of individuals, misuse of applications, software failures of transmission errors.

• Due to the aging of data storage media, loss of information can occur.

• During data transfer transmission errors may occur.

• Malicious software can destroy or modify entire databases.

• Due to incorrect input, undesired transactions may occur, which often remain unnoticed for a long time.
• Attackers may try to manipulate data for their purposes, e.g. to gain access to other IT systems or databases.
• Manipulating the index database can prompt electronic archives to archive or retrieve false documents.

If the information loses integrity, it can cause a variety of problems:

• In the simplest case, information cannot be read and hence further processed.
• Data can be accidentally or intentionally falsified to the extent that false information is passed on. In this way transfers with wrong amounts, for instance, or to the wrong recipient can be triggered, the sender data in an email can be manipulated and many more.
• If encrypted or compressed data loses its integrity (in this case it is enough to change just one bit), it cannot be decrypted or respectively decompressed under certain circumstances.
• The same applies to cryptographic keys, also here changing a single bit can make the keys useless. This also has a consequence that data can no longer be decrypted or their authenticity cannot be verified any more.
• Documents stored in electronic archives, lose their probative value, if their integrity can be questioned.