CIPT (Certified Information Privacy Technologist) Practice

Which encryption method allows data to be encrypted in an irreversible manner?

1. Symmetric encryption

2. Asymmetric encryption

3. Hashing

4. Least privilege access

The correct answer is: Hashing

Hashing is the encryption method that allows data to be encrypted in an irreversible manner. When data is hashed, it undergoes a one-way function that converts the input into a fixed-size string of characters, making it practically impossible to reverse the process and retrieve the original data. This property of hashing makes it suitable for protecting sensitive information like passwords, where the actual data does not need to be decrypted, only compared for verification. Symmetric and asymmetric encryption are reversible processes where the encrypted data can be decrypted back to its original form using the appropriate key or keys. Least privilege access, on the other hand, is a security principle that pertains to granting only the minimum level of access or permissions necessary for users to perform their tasks effectively, but it is not an encryption method like hashing.