Which of the following cryptographic solutions is used to hide the fact that communication is occurring?

Question

Options

• ASteganography
• BData masking
• CTokenization
• DPrivate key

• A
  89% (33)
• B
  3% (1)
• C
  3% (1)
• D
  5% (2)

Explanation

Steganography is the practice of concealing the existence of a message by hiding it within another file (image, audio, video, or text), so that outside observers don't even know communication is taking place - this is distinct from encryption, which hides the content but not the fact of communication.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B. Data masking obscures sensitive data values (e.g., replacing SSNs with Xs) to protect privacy in non-production environments - it doesn't hide communication.
• C. Tokenization replaces sensitive data with a surrogate token for storage/transmission security - again, the communication itself is still visible.
• D. Private key is a component of asymmetric cryptography used for encryption/decryption - it protects message content, not the existence of the message.

Memory tip: Think of the Greek roots - steganos (covered/hidden) + graphia (writing) = "hidden writing." If you need to hide that a secret even exists, reach for steganography; if you need to hide what the secret says, reach for encryption.

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