Which standard specifies device-level encryption for storage devices?

Which standard specifies device-level encryption for storage devices?

• A. Trend analysis
• B. Opal
• C. Antivirus
• D. Configuration baselines

Answer: (B)

Opal defines how storage devices perform encryption at the hardware level. It specifies the interfaces, capabilities, and requirements for self-encrypting drives, including how keys are stored, managed, and used to encrypt and decrypt data as it is written to and read from the disk. This makes data at rest protected directly by the drive, independent of the operating system, which is the essence of device-level encryption. The other options don’t describe a standard for encrypting storage hardware: trend analysis is about spotting patterns over time, antivirus is about detecting malicious software, and configuration baselines cover secure settings rather than the encryption mechanism implemented on the device itself.

Opal defines how storage devices perform encryption at the hardware level. It specifies the interfaces, capabilities, and requirements for self-encrypting drives, including how keys are stored, managed, and used to encrypt and decrypt data as it is written to and read from the disk. This makes data at rest protected directly by the drive, independent of the operating system, which is the essence of device-level encryption. The other options don’t describe a standard for encrypting storage hardware: trend analysis is about spotting patterns over time, antivirus is about detecting malicious software, and configuration baselines cover secure settings rather than the encryption mechanism implemented on the device itself.