Question

Any credit card information stored by a business should:

a. be kept in the cloud

b. be protected with a hash table

c. have data encryption applied

d. be deleted monthly

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

**c. have data encryption applied**

When storing credit card information, it is essential to protect it adequately against unauthorized access. Data encryption is a fundamental security measure that ensures sensitive data, such as credit card information, is transformed into a secure format that can only be read by authorized parties who have the decryption key.

Options a, b, and d are not best practices in this context:

- **a. be kept in the cloud**: While cloud storage can be secure, simply storing it in the cloud does not ensure protection of sensitive data. Security measures are necessary regardless of storage location.

- **b. be protected with a hash table**: Hashing is not appropriate for storing credit card information because it is a one-way process. You cannot retrieve the original data from a hash, making it unsuitable for storing card details that need to be accessed later.

- **d. be deleted monthly**: While sensitive data should be retained only for as long as necessary, arbitrary deletion policies can cause issues if data is needed for legitimate transactions or compliance.

Thus, encrypting the data is the best approach for protecting credit card information.