Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

What is the term for encrypted data?

1. Plaintext

2. Hash value

3. Ciphertext

4. Encoded text

The correct answer is: Ciphertext

The term for encrypted data is "Ciphertext." When data is encrypted using a cryptographic algorithm, it transforms readable information (known as plaintext) into an unreadable format to protect it from unauthorized access. The encryption process ensures that the original data is not easily deciphered without the correct decryption key, thus maintaining confidentiality. Ciphertext plays a critical role in data security, as it prevents potential attackers from interpreting sensitive information even if they gain access to the encrypted data. In contrast, plaintext refers to unencrypted data that is easily readable. A hash value is a fixed-size string generated from input data, used in integrity verification, not encryption. Encoded text refers to data transformed into a different format for transmission and does not imply security or confidentiality like ciphertext.