Data masking, also known as data obfuscation, operates by shielding confidential data, such as credit card information, social security numbers, names, addresses, contact information, etc. … The key to data masking is keeping the data formats unchanged while changing the data values so that the actual data is obfuscated.

What is masked and unmasked data?

Data masking, also known as data obfuscation, operates by shielding confidential data, such as credit card information, social security numbers, names, addresses, contact information, etc. … The key to data masking is keeping the data formats unchanged while changing the data values so that the actual data is obfuscated.

Why do we mask data?

Data masking essentially ensures that only the people who need to see data can see it and that they only see it when they should. It’s used to protect various types of data, including intellectual property, personally identifiable data, protected health data, as well as financial data, such as payment card information.