Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Mastering Your Certification!

Keyed-hash functions play a vital role in cryptography, particularly in ensuring data integrity and authenticity. These functions utilize a secret key in conjunction with the input data to produce a hash value. This process allows the generation of a unique hash that can be checked against the original data. If any changes occur to the data, the hash would differ, indicating potential tampering or unauthorized alterations.

In contexts such as digital signatures and message authentication codes (MACs), keyed-hash functions help verify that the data has not been altered in transit and that it originates from a legitimate source. This dual function of securing the integrity and authenticity of data makes keyed-hash functions essential for secure communication.

The other options may pertain to different aspects of cryptography or network security but do not accurately capture the specific function and purpose of keyed-hash functions. For instance, while some functions manage network traffic or require user-defined keys, they do not directly relate to the essential authentication and integrity verification that keyed-hash functions provide.