Data masking can be used to provide all of the following functionality, except:

Data masking is a technique designed to protect sensitive information by obscuring it, thereby allowing non-sensitive data to be used in environments such as testing or training without exposing actual sensitive data. The functionality of data masking encompasses practices that promote security and compliance, but it is important to recognize its limitations in certain areas, like authentication.

The primary purpose of data masking is to maintain privacy and protect sensitive data while allowing analytical and operational processes to continue without putting actual data at risk. It effectively supports enforcing least privilege by ensuring that users only access data necessary for their roles without exposure to sensitive parts of the information. It is also beneficial for creating test data in sandboxed environments, allowing developers or testers to work with non-production data that resembles real data but without actual sensitive details.

However, authentication of privileged users is not a functionality supported by data masking. Authentication requires verifying a user's identity and often involves methods such as passwords, biometrics, or multi-factor authentication. Data masking does not perform this function, as it deals with altering the data rather than authenticating users.

Similarly, while secure remote access may involve various security methodologies, which can include data masking as a supplement for protecting sensitive information while accessed remotely, the primary act of authenticating users goes well beyond the scope