Data masking is the process of hiding original data with modified content. This is done to protect information from unauthorized users. There are also different types of data masking, each with its advantages. Keep reading to learn more about the different types of data masking.
What is data masking?
Data masking is hiding specific data fields to protect them from unauthorized access. There are several benefits to data masking. One of the most significant benefits is that it can help protect the privacy of customers or employees. Data masking can also help protect confidential information from being accessed by unauthorized users. Additionally, data masking can help improve data security by making it more difficult for hackers to access sensitive data. There are a variety of methods that can be used for data masking, including randomization, substitution, and encryption.
What is data randomization?
In statistics, data randomization alters or obscures the values of specific data points in a dataset. This can be done in several ways, but the most common is to replace the values with randomly generated numbers. This makes it challenging to analyze the data and draw any meaningful conclusions from it. There are also several benefits to data randomization. One of the most important is that it can help you identify data relationships that would not be otherwise apparent. By obscuring the values of specific data points, you can remove the bias that those values may introduce.
What is data substitution?
Substitution is when data is hidden by replacing it with a different value. There are a few different types of substitution that can take place: stream substitution, block substitution, and parameter substitution. Stream substitution is when a smaller piece of data is used to hide a more considerable amount of data. This can be done by using a cryptographic hash function to create a message digest, which is a unique value that is generated from a text. The digest can then be used to replace the text, and the original text can be recovered by reversing the hash function. Block substitution is when another block of data returns a block of data, and parameter substitution is when a different value replaces a value.
What is data encryption?
Encryption is the process of transforming readable data into an unreadable format. The purpose of encryption is to protect information from unauthorized individuals’ access. The data is encrypted using a special algorithm, which produces a unique key. The key is used to decrypt the data, and only authorized users have access to the key. There are two main types of encryption: asymmetric and symmetric.
Asymmetric encryption is also known as public-key cryptography. It uses two keys, a public key, and a private key. The public key is used to encrypt data, and the private key is used to decrypt data. Asymmetric encryption is also more secure than symmetric encryption.
Symmetric encryption is also known as secret-key cryptography. It uses a single key to encrypt and decrypt data. Although symmetric encryption is less secure than asymmetric encryption, it does work faster. Encryption is a vital security tool that can be used to protect sensitive data. It is used in various applications, including email, file sharing, and web browsing.
What industries use data masking?
The use of data masking is not limited to a particular industry, as it can be used in several different ways. In the banking and financial services industry, data masking is used to protect the privacy of customers’ data. For example, if a bank wants to run a marketing campaign and needs to analyze customer data, it can use data masking to disguise the identity of the customers in the data set. This way, the bank can analyze the data without compromising the privacy of its customers. The healthcare industry also relies on data masking to protect patient information.
For example, when a doctor sees a patient, they need to be able to access that patient’s medical history. Data masking lets the doctor know the patient’s medical record without compromising privacy.