What is the main objective of applying cryptography to the data in a cloud?

The primary goal of applying cryptography to data in the cloud centers around ensuring confidentiality. When data is stored in or transmitted through the cloud, it is exposed to various risks and vulnerabilities that could potentially allow unauthorized individuals to access sensitive information. By using cryptography, organizations can encrypt data, rendering it unreadable to anyone who does not have the proper decryption keys. This process protects the data from interception or unauthorized access, ensuring that only those with the appropriate permissions can view or interact with the information.

While secure authentication, management of authorization, and maintenance of integrity are important aspects of cloud security, they serve different purposes. Secure authentication verifies the identity of users or systems, ensuring that only legitimate users gain access. Authorization involves controlling what users can do with that access, and maintaining integrity ensures that the data remains unaltered during storage or transmission. However, none of these functions directly relate to the core objective of protecting the data's confidentiality, which is where cryptography plays a crucial role.