What is the potential risk of not using encryption for data in transit?

Not using encryption for data in transit exposes sensitive information to the risk of unauthorized access. When data is transmitted over networks, it may travel through various points where it could be intercepted by malicious actors. Without encryption, the data remains in plaintext and can easily be read, modified, or stolen during transmission. This is particularly concerning for sensitive information such as personal identifiable information (PII), financial data, or proprietary information.

In contrast to the correct answer, data corruption, slower transmission, and loss of integrity may arise from various technical issues, but they are not directly tied to the absence of encryption. For example, data corruption can occur due to network errors or hardware malfunctions, while encryption may actually add some overhead that could result in slower data transmission, but this is not its primary security purpose. Lastly, integrity issues can arise from a variety of factors unrelated to encryption, including bugs, configuration errors, or attacks that are focused on altering data rather than simply accessing it. Thus, the paramount concern with unencrypted data in transit is the significant risk of unauthorized access.