Which of the following is a method to protect against security threats?

Encryption is a method that protects sensitive data by converting it into a secure format that can only be read or decoded by someone who has the necessary decryption key. This safeguard ensures that even if unauthorized individuals gain access to the data, they will not be able to understand or utilize it without the key. By maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of the data, encryption plays a crucial role in safeguarding information against a variety of security threats, including data breaches and unauthorized access.

Tokenization, while a valid method of protection, primarily involves replacing sensitive data with unique identification symbols (tokens) that retain essential information without compromising security. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides a secure connection over a public network, protecting data transmission but not directly securing the data at rest. Similarly, a firewall acts as a barrier between trusted and untrusted networks, controlling incoming and outgoing traffic according to predetermined security rules but does not encrypt data itself. Each of these methods serves important roles in a broader security strategy, but encryption specifically focuses on protecting the content of the data itself.