(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

Which term refers to the process of converting plaintext into ciphertext?

1. Hashing

2. Encryption

3. Encoding

4. Obfuscation

The correct answer is: Encryption

The process of converting plaintext into ciphertext is known as encryption. Encryption is a fundamental aspect of cybersecurity, as it protects sensitive information by transforming readable data (plaintext) into a format that is not understandable without the proper decryption key or method. This transformation ensures that even if the data is intercepted or accessed by unauthorized individuals, it remains protected and inaccessible. Hashing, while related to data integrity, serves to convert data into a fixed-size string of characters, typically for purposes such as verifying data integrity via checksums, rather than providing confidentiality. Encoding, on the other hand, is primarily used to transform data into a specific format suitable for transmission or storage, but it does not provide security or confidentiality since the encoded data can often be easily converted back to its original format. Obfuscation refers to the practice of making something unclear or difficult to understand; it may obscure data but does not provide the strong security that encryption does. In summary, encryption is specifically designed to secure data by converting it into an unreadable format, making it the correct choice for this question.