What does the term "data in transit" refer to?

The term "data in transit" specifically refers to data being transmitted over a network. This encompasses any data actively moving from one location to another, such as during the process of being sent from a user's device to a server or from one server to another across the internet.

Understanding this concept is crucial for implementing proper security measures. When data is in transit, it can be vulnerable to interception or unauthorized access, thus necessitating encryption and secure transmission protocols to safeguard the information.

In contrast, the other options pertain to different states of data. Data stored in databases refers to data at rest, backups are considered archived data, and data that is no longer accessible typically involves data that has been deleted or corrupted, none of which relate to the movement of data over a network.