Which term refers to the process of converting data into a coded format?

Study for the Certified Bank Secrecy Act Professional Test. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations. Get exam ready!

The main idea is protecting information by turning readable data into a coded form so only authorized people can read it. This process is encryption. It uses mathematical algorithms and a key to transform plaintext into ciphertext, and the same or a related key is used to turn it back into readable data. Encryption is essential for keeping data secure whether it’s being sent over a network or stored on a device, because without the key, the coded information remains unreadable.

Online banking disruption describes a problem or event, not a method for encoding data. Ransomware is a type of malware that often uses encryption as part of its attack, but the term refers to the attack itself, not the general process of encoding data. Malware is a broad category of malicious software, not the specific process of converting data into a coded format.