Correct Answer: A
Data in transit refers to data being transmitted over a network, and protecting it requires encryption:
* SSL/TLS (A): Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are encryption protocols designed specifically to protect data in transit by encrypting communication between endpoints. This is the correct answer.
* SHA-512 (B): Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) is a hashing algorithm, not an encryption method. It is used for integrity verification rather than securing data in transit.
* MD5 (C): Message Digest Algorithm 5 (MD5) is another hashing function, primarily used for checksums and integrity checks, not for encrypting transmitted data.
* 3DES (D): Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) is a symmetric encryption algorithm, but it is used for data at rest rather than data in transit.
Since the question specifically asks about protecting data in transit, SSL/TLS is the correct answer.
Reference: CompTIA Server+ SK0-005 Official Textbook, Chapter 9 - Security and Encryption