Which of the following techniques protects sensitive data by obscuring specific areas with random characters or codes?

Question

Options

• AData retention
• BData resilience
• CData backup
• DData masking

• B
  5% (1)
• C
  5% (1)
• D
  90% (18)

Explanation

Data masking is correct because it's a technique that replaces sensitive data (like credit card numbers or SSNs) with realistic but fictitious values - random characters, symbols, or codes - so the data remains usable in format while the actual content is obscured.

Why the others are wrong:

• A. Data retention - a policy governing how long data is kept, not how it's protected
• B. Data resilience - refers to a system's ability to recover from failures, not obscure data
• C. Data backup - creates copies of data for recovery purposes, leaving the original data intact and visible

Memory tip: Think of a physical mask - it hides a face while keeping the shape recognizable. Data masking hides sensitive values while keeping the data format intact (e.g., ****-****-****-1234). If the question mentions "obscuring," "hiding," or "replacing" specific fields, data masking is almost always the answer.

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