{"id":4259,"date":"2021-05-28T13:55:56","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T10:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.endpointprotector.com\/blog\/?p=4259"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:00:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T08:00:34","slug":"protecting-data-at-rest-vs-data-in-motion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.endpointprotector.com\/blog\/protecting-data-at-rest-vs-data-in-motion\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Data at Rest vs Data in Motion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sensitive data exists in three states: at rest, in use, and in motion, each with distinct security risks. Data in motion is more exposed to interception, while data at rest is a prime target for insiders and device theft. Effective protection requires layered controls, including firewalls, encryption, and Data Loss Prevention. Solutions like Netwrix Endpoint Protector help monitor, encrypt, and control sensitive data across both states to reduce breaches and ensure compliance.<\/em><\/p>\n

Protecting\u00a0sensitive data\u00a0such as personally identifiable information<\/a> (PII), intellectual property<\/a>, or\u00a0healthcare\u00a0data<\/a>, has become a requirement for most businesses collecting and processing these\u00a0types of data. Whether it\u2019s to comply with\u00a0data protection\u00a0legislation and standards such as\u00a0GDPR<\/a>,\u00a0HIPAA<\/a>,\u00a0or\u00a0PCI\u00a0DSS<\/a> or to ensure they preserve their competitive advantage, companies must protect their\u00a0sensitive information from both malicious outsiders and careless insiders.<\/p>\n

Depending on its movements, data can be found in three states: data at rest, data in use, and data in motion.\u00a0Data at rest\u00a0<\/a>refers to all data stored on devices that are not transferred from device to device or network to network. It includes data stored locally on computer hard drives, archived in databases, file systems, and storage infrastructure. Data in use is data that is currently being updated, processed, erased, accessed, or read by a system and is stored within IT infrastructures such as RAM, databases, or CPUs. This type of data is not being passively stored but is very much active.<\/p>\n

Data in motion<\/a>, or data in transit, on the other hand, is data moving from one location to another, whether it\u2019s between computers, virtual machines, from an endpoint to cloud storage, or through a private or public network. Once it arrives at its destination, data in motion becomes data at rest.<\/p>\n

The Vulnerabilities of\u00a0Data in Motion\u00a0vs\u00a0Data at Rest<\/h2>\n

In today\u2019s digitized work environments, data is constantly in motion. Employees transfer data on a daily basis through email, virtual coworking spaces or messaging applications. The solutions they use can be company-approved collaboration tools, but they can also be shadow IT, personal services used by individuals in their work without the knowledge of their employers.<\/p>\n

As such, data is considered less secure while in motion. Not only is it exposed to transfer via potentially insecure channels, but it also leaves the security of company networks, venturing to potentially less secure destinations and is vulnerable to Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) cyberattacks that target data as it travels.<\/p>\n

Because it is not transferred over the internet,\u00a0data at rest\u00a0is considered less vulnerable than\u00a0data in motion\u00a0as it remains within the confines of company networks and their security framework. However,\u00a0data at rest\u00a0is often more attractive to cybercriminals as it guarantees a bigger payday than smaller data packets in transit.\u00a0Data at rest\u00a0is also often the target of malicious insiders looking to damage a company\u2019s reputation or steal data before moving on to a new place of employment.<\/p>\n

Although\u00a0data at rest\u00a0is not transferred over the internet, it doesn\u2019t mean it does not travel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as more and more work computers were taken out of the security of office spaces into the limited security capabilities of home environments,\u00a0data at rest\u00a0was put in a particularly vulnerable position.<\/p>\n

Both\u00a0data at rest\u00a0and in motion face the risk of employee negligence<\/a>. Whether data is stored locally or is transferred over the internet, a moment of employee careless can leave data open to a data breach or leak.<\/p>\n

How to Protect\u00a0Data in Motion vs\u00a0Data at Rest<\/h2>\n

As shown above, data at rest and data in motion each come with their unique set of challenges when it comes to its security. \u00a0While data in motion is unavoidable, many companies have tried to reduce the accumulation of data at rest by implementing Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs) and Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) platforms to limit the local storage of sensitive company data. However, these solutions come with their own\u00a0data security\u00a0concerns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Basic\u00a0cybersecurity\u00a0measures such as\u00a0firewalls\u00a0and antivirus software are necessary to protect\u00a0data at rest\u00a0from outsider attacks.\u00a0Data Loss Prevention\u00a0(DLP) solutions are a popular tool for the protection of data both in motion and at rest from insider threats. Using policies that define what\u00a0sensitive information\u00a0means to a company, DLP software monitors and controls the transfer and storage of\u00a0sensitive data.<\/p>\n

Using content inspection and contextual scanning, DLP tools such as\u00a0Endpoint\u00a0Protector<\/a> can search for\u00a0sensitive data\u00a0in hundreds of file types in real-time, whether it is in transit or stored locally on employees\u2019 computers. Based on search results, controls can be put into place to limit or block transfers as needed or delete or\u00a0encrypt\u00a0data at rest\u00a0when it is identified in unauthorized locations.<\/p>\n

Encryption<\/a> is another common solution used to\u00a0secure data\u00a0both at rest and in motion. Encrypting\u00a0hard drives\u00a0using operating systems\u2019 native\u00a0data\u00a0encryption\u00a0solutions, companies can ensure that, if a device lands in the\u00a0wrong hands, no one can access the data on the\u00a0hard drive\u00a0without an\u00a0encryption key.<\/p>\n

Some DLP solutions also offer the possibility of enforcing the\u00a0encryption\u00a0<\/a>of any files transferred onto USB flash drives. In this way, should a USB be lost or stolen, no one can access the data on it. For data in motion, encrypting data prior to transport or encrypted tunnels such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) can help protect permitted sensitive data transfers.<\/p>\n

In conclusion<\/h2>\n

While data in motion and data at rest have different vulnerabilities and attack vectors, there are many software solutions that can help protect both. Firewalls, antivirus software, DLP solutions, and encryption all contribute to the protection of data in motion and at rest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sensitive data exists in three states: at rest, in use, and in motion, each with distinct security risks. Data in motion is more exposed to interception, while data at rest is a prime target for insiders and device theft. Effective protection requires layered controls, including firewalls, encryption, and Data Loss Prevention. Solutions like Netwrix Endpoint … <\/p>\n

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