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Running head: USE OF ENCRYPTION TO PROTECT DATA AT REST, IN MOTION, AND IN USE 1

USE OF ENCRYPTION TO PROTECT DATA AT REST, IN MOTION, AND IN USE 4

USE OF ENCRYPTION TO PROTECT DATA AT REST, IN MOTION, AND IN USE

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Data encryption relates to converting data into another form to ensure only people with permission or access to password can read it. In the current world of technology, encryption is a popular and effective way of securing data used by most organizations globally. The role of data encryption is to protect data confidentiality in the computer or when being transmitted via the internet or any other computer network. An encryption algorithm is the latest and very successful in securing IT systems (Blinn, (2020). It provides confidentiality and secures information on integrity, non-repudiation and authentication. Andrew Froehlich once said that "the easiest way to secure sensitive data is not to have any in the first place" since this is not possible organizations must work to ensure their data is secure.

Data at rest poses a potential threat to hackers and other malicious threats, and therefore, companies should ensure data at rest safety. Data at rest is any inactive data that is kept in archives, databases, tapes, spreadsheets or any other digital form. To successfully secure data at rest, it is essential for the organization to know where its sensitive data is and the way to classify it (Sidorov, 2015). It is wise to have a policy on how to limit access to sensitive data most likely when the organization the nature of their data. Make sure the infrastructure supporting the data at rest is secure as this is important as the data itself. Also ensure right patching of servers, software and network hardware on-site and in the cloud as it is crucial in ensuring data security. Keep an eye on external threats that try to gain access to data at rest. Train all employees that have access to critical information on the importance of securing data at rest to curb its loss.

Data in use is simply the processed, read or accessed information. Protecting data in use is much tricky than safeguarding data at rest. The most effective way to protect data in use is by limiting access through user role by restricting access to those only indeed of it. Getting extra granular and restricting access to data itself would also be better. Guard the sensitive data from unauthorized individuals, the use of metadata instead of raw data would do better (Sidorov, 2015). Encryption plays an essential role in securing data in use, and data should at all times be encrypted when used in internal networks.

Data in motion refers to the information that is being moved from one system to the other. Encryption secures data in motion from any external or internal networks. This involves encrypting all the information before moving it using secure channels, including SSL/Transport Layer Security or HTTPS (Blinn, (2020). VPNs that are encrypted are also a better option to secure data on the motion. The last best option is the provision of the right visibility for breach identification roles.

In conclusion, Accenture called data theft "the most expensive and fastest-rising consequence of cybercrime". Due to this, I would urge all the organizations to pay attention to securing information. Small businesses are the most vulnerable to data treat as they lack sophisticated data security tools. An organization should work to their best to ensure data is secure by setting policies, training of staff and authorized access to essential information. Use of data encryption would serve the companies better in securing crucial data.

References

Blinn, E. (2020). Protecting data at rest. SQL Server Transparent Data Encryption. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5922-1_1

Blinn, E. (2020). Encryption hierarchy. SQL Server Transparent Data Encryption. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5922-1_2

Sidorov, V., & Ng, W. K. (2015). Transparent data encryption for data-in-Use and data-at-Rest in a cloud-based database-as-a-Service solution. 2015 IEEE World Congress on Services. https://doi.org/10.1109/services.2015.40