What is the purpose of encryption in data security?

Encryption serves a vital role in data security by protecting sensitive information during transmission. When data is transmitted over networks, it is susceptible to interception by unauthorized parties. By using encryption, this data is transformed into a format that is unreadable without the appropriate decryption key, ensuring that even if the data is intercepted, it cannot be understood or misused by those who do not have access to the corresponding decryption key.

The primary objective of encryption is to safeguard confidentiality. This is particularly crucial in sectors such as healthcare, finance, and any industry that deals with personal or sensitive information, where breaches can lead to significant legal and ethical consequences.

In contrast, creating backups of important information focuses on data recovery rather than security. Ensuring accessibility to all users contradicts the very purpose of data privacy and security, which is to limit access to authorized individuals. Storing data more efficiently might improve performance or resource management but does not address the need for protecting data during transmission. Thus, the choice emphasizing protection during transfer aptly captures the fundamental purpose of encryption in data security.