Which of the following methods can be used to safeguard cardholder data during storage?

Data anonymization is a robust method for safeguarding cardholder data during storage. This approach involves the transformation of sensitive data into a format that does not reveal the actual identity or details of the cardholder. By using techniques such as masking, pseudonymization, or tokenization, the data can be stored securely while ensuring that any personal identifiable information (PII) is obfuscated. This significantly reduces the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access, as even if the anonymized data is compromised, it cannot be traced back to an individual without the appropriate means to re-identify the data.

In contrast, plain text storage lacks encryption and security measures, thus making sensitive information easily readable and highly vulnerable to unauthorized access. Data viewing by all employees fails to implement necessary access controls to limit who can see sensitive information, further increasing the risk of misuse or accidental exposure. Unrestricted database access allows any user with database credentials to view and manipulate sensitive data without restriction, which also poses a significant security threat. Thus, data anonymization stands out as the only viable option among the choices for effectively protecting cardholder information in storage.