To limit the potential impact on the log-in database in case of a breach, the security team would most likely recommend hashing. Hashing converts passwords into fixed-length strings of characters, which cannot be easily reversed to reveal the original passwords. Even if the database is breached, attackers cannot easily retrieve the actual passwords if they are properly hashed (especially with techniques like salting).
* Tokenization is used to replace sensitive data with a token, but it is more common for protecting credit card data than passwords.
* Obfuscation is the process of making data harder to interpret but is weaker than hashing for password protection.
* Segmentation helps isolate data but doesn't directly protect the contents of the login database.