Which of the following best protects sensitive data in transit across a geographically dispersed infrastructure?

Question

Options

• AEncryption
• BMasking
• CTokenization
• DObfuscation

• A
  92% (47)
• B
  4% (2)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  2% (1)

Explanation

Encryption is the correct choice because it mathematically transforms data into an unreadable format that can only be reversed with the proper key - making it the standard mechanism for protecting data while it moves across networks, including protocols like TLS/SSL and VPNs used in distributed infrastructure.

Masking replaces data with realistic-looking fake values (e.g., showing ****1234 for a card number), but it's designed for display or non-production use - not for securing data traveling across a network.

Tokenization substitutes sensitive values with non-sensitive tokens, which is useful for storage and processing (e.g., payment systems), but the original data must already be secured elsewhere; tokenization itself doesn't protect data moving between systems.

Obfuscation makes data harder to understand through techniques like renaming or restructuring, but provides no cryptographic protection - a determined attacker can still intercept and decode it in transit.

Memory tip: Think "in transit = encryption." The word transit implies movement, and only encryption wraps data in a secure envelope for the journey. The other three are about hiding or substituting data at rest or at the application layer, not securing the network pipe.

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