Which does encryption in transit primarily protect?

• A. Data moving over networks
• B. Stored data on disks
• C. Archived backups
• D. Local file permissions

Answer: (A)

Data moving over networks.

Encryption in transit protects data while it is traveling between systems. When information is sent across networks, protocols like TLS or SSH encrypt the payload so that anyone who intercepts the traffic can’t read or tamper with it, preserving confidentiality and integrity from source to destination. This is different from data stored on disks (data at rest) or archived backups, which are secured by encryption at rest, and from local file permissions, which control access rather than protect data in motion. So the primary protection provided is for data as it moves over networks.