Exfiltration

Encryption is the method of converting a plaintext into a cipher text so that only the authorized parties can decrypt the information and no third parties can tamper with the data. Unencrypted usually refers to data or information that is stored unprotected, without any encryption. Encryption is an important way for individuals and companies to protect sensitive information from hacking. For example, websites that transmit credit card and bank account numbers encrypt this information to prevent identity theft and fraud.

An acronym for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST is a unit of the US Commerce Department tasked with promoting and maintaining measurement standards. NIST leads the development and issuance of security standards and guidelines for the federal government.

Stale data is data collected that is no longer needed by an organization for daily operations. Sometimes the data collected was never needed at all. Most organizations store a significant amount of stale data.