Communication between ________ and ________ is encrypted for security.

• A. Cloud and device
• B. End user and data center
• C. Network and device
• D. Cloud and Network

Answer: (B)

When data travels between an end user and the central service that runs in a data center or cloud, it is typically encrypted to protect confidentiality and integrity. This means the user’s login, requests, and the service’s responses travel over a secure channel (like TLS) so that eavesdroppers can’t read credentials or commands or alter what’s being sent. The end user–to–data center path is the common scenario where encryption is applied to guard sensitive interactions with the backend that stores, processes, or serves IoT data.

Encryption can also protect other legs of communication, such as device-to-cloud, but the situation described—securely connecting the end user to the data center—best captures the essential security practice of protecting user-facing communications with the cloud or data center.