Why is it important to encrypt data at rest?
Data at rest refers to any data residing on hard drives, thumb drives, laptops, etc. In some cases, this data can be Controlled Unclassified Information or it can be what’s called FOUO, For Official Use Only. It can be called Critical Program Information, CPI; or it can be called Personally Identifiable information. PII is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as his or her name or social security number, alone, or when combined with other identifying information that is linkable to a specific individual, such as date, a place of birth, or mother’s maiden name. Encrypting data at rest will strengthen our security posture and mitigate the impact of lost or stolen data.
