What is the primary purpose of data loss prevention (DLP) tools?

The primary purpose of data loss prevention (DLP) tools is to prevent unauthorized data transfers. DLP tools are designed to identify, monitor, and protect sensitive information from being accessed or transferred inappropriately. They help organizations enforce security policies by blocking or alerting users when they attempt to share sensitive data outside approved channels, such as email, web uploads, or removable storage devices. This capability is crucial for organizations looking to maintain compliance with data protection regulations and safeguard against data breaches, ensuring that confidential information remains within secure environments.

While other options serve important functions in the realm of cybersecurity—for example, monitoring network traffic is essential for identifying anomalies, encrypting sensitive information is vital for protecting data at rest and in transit, and detecting malware threats helps protect systems from various cybersecurity risks—they are not the primary focus of DLP tools. The main objective of DLP is explicitly to control and prevent the unauthorized flow of sensitive data, making option C the most accurate answer in the context of DLP's core purpose.