CISSP Practice Question: XYZ Corp is implementing a data classification scheme to protect its sensitive…

Correct Answer: A. AES

Explanation (CISSP Manager Logic):

AES is the industry-standard symmetric algorithm for protecting data at rest due to its high performance and strong security. From a managerial perspective, it ensures compliance with regulatory mandates while providing the necessary confidentiality and integrity for bulk data storage.

By implementing this solution, you:

• Meet regulatory requirements for protecting sensitive information.
• Ensure high-speed encryption and decryption for large data volumes.
• Utilize a globally recognized standard that simplifies audit and compliance.

While the other options are relevant, they fall short because:

• B: MD5 is a legacy hashing algorithm that provides integrity checks but cannot encrypt data for confidentiality.
• C: RSA is an asymmetric algorithm primarily used for key exchange and digital signatures, making it too computationally expensive for bulk data at rest.
• D: SHA-1 is a hashing algorithm used for integrity, not encryption, and is currently considered cryptographically broken.

Think like a manager:

Select the most efficient, standard-compliant tool for the specific task. Use symmetric encryption for bulk data storage and reserve asymmetric methods for secure key distribution.