An engineer needs to ensure that a script has not been modified before it is launched. Which of the following best provides this functionality?

Masking involves concealing data to protect it from unauthorized access or to comply with privacy regulations. While it can obscure the contents of a script, it does not provide any mechanism for verifying whether the script has been altered. Therefore, masking does not serve the purpose of ensuring data integrity.

Obfuscation refers to the practice of making code difficult to understand in order to protect intellectual property or prevent reverse engineering. Although it can deter unauthorized modifications, obfuscation does not offer a method for checking if the script has been altered since it lacks a verification process.

Encryption secures data by converting it into a format that can only be read by authorized parties with the correct decryption key. While encryption protects the content of a script, it does not inherently provide a way to verify if the script has been modified, as the encrypted output would change with any alteration.