Data masking is a security technique used to protect sensitive data from unauthorized users by replacing real data with fake data.
For example, you create a test database for a third-party software consultant that contains customer information such as account number, name, and credit card number. You do not want to display this personal information in the test database, so you enter fake data to represent the real values.
Production data:
- Name: Jane Smith
- Account number: 12345
- Credit card number: 1111-8888-2222-9999
Test data:
- Name: Jane XXXX
- Account number: 66666
- Credit card number: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-9999
