In the context of security principles, what does hashing primarily ensure?

Hashing primarily ensures integrity by generating a unique fixed-size string of characters, known as a hash value or hash code, from input data of any size. When data is hashed, even a small change in the input will result in a completely different hash output. This property makes hashing invaluable for verifying that data has not been altered or corrupted during transmission or storage.

When you compare the original hash value of data to a newly generated hash value from the data at a later point in time, any discrepancy indicates that the data has been modified, thus signaling a potential issue with integrity. This makes hashing a fundamental tool in various security processes, such as digital signatures and checksums, to ensure that the data remains unchanged.

Other options relate to different aspects of security: confidentiality refers to protecting information from unauthorized access, availability ensures that information is accessible to authorized users when needed, and access control manages who can view or use resources in a computing environment. These concepts, while important, do not directly relate to the primary function of hashing.