Information Technology Specialist (ITS) Cybersecurity 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Data masking is the practice of replacing sensitive information with non-sensitive equivalents to maintain data privacy while allowing for the use of realistic data in environments where the original sensitive data should not be present. This is commonly employed in scenarios such as software testing or development where developers need access to data without exposing actual sensitive or confidential information.

Using data masking helps organizations adhere to data protection regulations and protects against unauthorized access, ensuring that personal identifiable information (PII), financial records, or protected health information (PHI) remains safeguarded. In addition, it allows for the utilization of valuable datasets without compromising the integrity or the confidentiality of the original information.

For instance, if real customer names and Social Security numbers are stored in a database, data masking would replace these entries with pseudonyms and fictitious numbers that maintain the format but obscure the actual data. This maintains the usability of the data set while minimizing the risk of data breaches and ensuring compliance with privacy laws.