What is "data at rest"?

Data at rest refers to information that is stored on a device or in a storage medium and is not currently in transit or actively being transferred over a network. This encompasses a wide range of stored data, including files on hard drives, databases, and cloud storage that are not being accessed or transmitted at that moment.

Understanding data at rest is important as it pertains to security measures. Organizations often implement specific protocols to protect this type of data from unauthorized access or breaches, using encryption and access controls as common strategies.

On the other hand, options that refer to data being actively transferred, stored in temporary memory, or publicly accessible online do not align with the definition of data at rest, as they involve different states of data handling and security considerations.