Encryption in transit and at rest in Elasticsearch - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does encryption in transit mean in Elasticsearch?

Encryption in transit means that data is encrypted while it moves between clients and Elasticsearch nodes or between nodes themselves. This protects data from being read or tampered with during transmission.

beginner

What is encryption at rest in Elasticsearch?

Encryption at rest means that data stored on disk by Elasticsearch is encrypted. This protects data from unauthorized access if someone gets physical access to the storage devices.

intermediate

Which Elasticsearch feature helps enable encryption in transit?

Elasticsearch uses TLS (Transport Layer Security) to encrypt data in transit. You configure TLS certificates and keys in the Elasticsearch settings to enable this.

intermediate

How can you enable encryption at rest in Elasticsearch?

Encryption at rest is typically enabled by using encrypted file systems or disk encryption on the server where Elasticsearch stores data. Elasticsearch itself does not encrypt data at rest by default.

beginner

Why is it important to use both encryption in transit and at rest?

Using both protects data fully: encryption in transit stops attackers from spying on data moving over the network, and encryption at rest protects data if storage devices are stolen or accessed without permission.

What protocol does Elasticsearch use to encrypt data in transit?

A SSH

B FTP

C HTTP

D TLS (Transport Layer Security)

Elasticsearch uses TLS to encrypt data moving between clients and nodes, ensuring secure communication.

Encryption at rest in Elasticsearch is usually handled by:

A Encrypted file systems or disk encryption on the server

B Elasticsearch's built-in encryption engine

C TLS certificates

D Network firewalls

Elasticsearch relies on the server's encrypted file system or disk encryption to protect data at rest.

Why is encryption in transit important?

A To speed up data transfer

B To protect data moving over the network from being intercepted

C To protect data stored on disk

D To compress data

Encryption in transit protects data from being read or altered while it travels across the network.

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of encryption at rest?

A Protects data if storage devices are stolen

B Prevents unauthorized reading of stored data

C Encrypts data moving between nodes

D Adds a layer of security to stored data

Encrypting data moving between nodes is encryption in transit, not at rest.

To enable encryption in transit in Elasticsearch, you need to configure:

A TLS certificates and keys

B User passwords

C Firewall rules

D Disk encryption software

TLS certificates and keys are required to set up encrypted communication channels in Elasticsearch.

Explain the difference between encryption in transit and encryption at rest in Elasticsearch.

Think about where the data is when it is protected.

Describe how you would enable secure communication between Elasticsearch nodes.

Focus on the steps to set up encryption in transit.