What is a potential outcome of failing to use encryption for sensitive data?

What is a potential outcome of failing to use encryption for sensitive data?

• A. Increased data integrity
• B. Unauthorized data access and breaches
• C. Enhanced collaboration among stakeholders
• D. Decreased data storage costs

Answer: (B)

The main issue here is data confidentiality. Encryption keeps sensitive information unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the decryption key, protecting it both in transit and at rest. When encryption isn’t used, that sensitive data can be read if it’s intercepted, stolen, or accessed on compromised systems, leading to data breaches. That direct risk—unauthorized data access and breaches—is why this is the best outcome to expect from not encrypting sensitive data. The other options don’t describe the primary consequence of omitting encryption: encryption is not primarily a guarantee of data integrity, it doesn’t automatically enable or improve collaboration, and it isn’t a factor that directly reduces storage costs.

The main issue here is data confidentiality. Encryption keeps sensitive information unreadable to anyone who doesn’t have the decryption key, protecting it both in transit and at rest. When encryption isn’t used, that sensitive data can be read if it’s intercepted, stolen, or accessed on compromised systems, leading to data breaches. That direct risk—unauthorized data access and breaches—is why this is the best outcome to expect from not encrypting sensitive data.

The other options don’t describe the primary consequence of omitting encryption: encryption is not primarily a guarantee of data integrity, it doesn’t automatically enable or improve collaboration, and it isn’t a factor that directly reduces storage costs.