Comprehensive and Detailed 250–300 Words Explanation From Exact Extract from Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) Documents:
The EC-Council CCISO Body of Knowledge identifies File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) as the most effective solution for monitoring, measuring, and reporting changes to critical data, system files, and repositories. FIM tools establish a known-good baseline of files and continuously monitor for unauthorized or unexpected changes.
CCISO documentation emphasizes that integrity is a core pillar of the CIA triad, and FIM directly supports integrity assurance by detecting alterations caused by malware, insider threats, configuration drift, or unauthorized administrative activity. FIM solutions generate alerts, logs, and reports that provide auditable evidence of when changes occurred, what was changed, and often who initiated the change.
Intrusion Detection Systems focus on detecting malicious activity or traffic patterns, not on validating the integrity of stored data. Database logs record transactions but do not inherently validate unauthorized changes or provide baseline comparison. Application interfaces enable access but do not monitor integrity.
CCISO guidance further notes that FIM is often required for regulatory compliance (e.g., PCI DSS, SOX) because it provides measurable, reportable assurance of data integrity. Therefore, File Integrity Monitoring is the best solution.