What does the term "data at rest" refer to?

The term "data at rest" refers to information that is stored physically in any digital form, such as on hard drives, solid-state drives, cloud storage, or other types of static storage. This includes databases, files, and application data that are not currently being accessed or transmitted across a network. Understanding this concept is essential for implementing appropriate security measures, as data at rest requires specific protections to prevent unauthorized access, theft, or loss, distinct from data in transit or data in use.

The other concepts, such as data being transmitted over a network, actively processed data, or temporarily stored data in memory, refer to data in different states that require different security considerations and management approaches.