What security approach is recommended for data at rest in hybrid environments?

In hybrid environments, where data exists both on-premises and in the cloud, ensuring the security of data at rest is critical. The recommended approach is encryption to protect sensitive data stored. Encryption transforms data into a format that is unreadable without the appropriate decryption key, thus safeguarding it from unauthorized access even if an attacker gains access to the storage medium.

Using encryption addresses threats such as data breaches and unauthorized access, as it ensures that even if the data is intercepted or accessed, it remains protected and confidential. This method is particularly important for sensitive information that must comply with various regulations and standards, such as GDPR or HIPAA, which mandate data protection measures.

While other options like access control lists, data masking techniques, and multi-factor authentication play important roles in a comprehensive security strategy, they do not specifically address the protection of data at rest in the same direct manner that encryption does. Access control lists manage permissions but do not protect the data itself from being read if access is breached. Data masking techniques are useful for protecting data in processes such as testing but do not encrypt the actual stored data. Multi-factor authentication adds a robust layer of security for user access but does not protect the data once a user has been granted access. Thus, encryption is the