4.1. Encryption Fundamentals

Encryption is a foundational pillar of data protection in the cloud. It involves transforming data into a coded format to prevent unauthorized access.

The First Principle is that encryption, both when data is stored (at rest) and when it's moving across networks (in transit), fundamentally protects sensitive information from unauthorized access, ensuring data confidentiality and integrity.

This section explores the two main states of data for encryption: at rest and in transit.

Scenario: A company needs to ensure that all sensitive customer data is protected from unauthorized access, whether it's stored on disk or being transmitted over the network.

Reflection Question: How does implementing data encryption (both at rest for stored data and in transit for data moving over networks) fundamentally protect sensitive information from unauthorized access, ensuring data confidentiality and integrity throughout its lifecycle?