 |
|
Oracle data security tips
Oracle Tips by Burleson Consulting |
Corporations all over the USA
are grappling with massive data losses (over
94 million personal records stolen), and Oracle shops everywhere are
struggling to protect confidential information from increasingly sophisticated
criminal hackers.
I highly recommend the book "Oracle
Privacy Security Auditing" for a complete treatment of Oracle data security
techniques and auditing mechanisms. See
Database Auditing for Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance for details.
Oracle data security
software
Oracle is used for some of the
most classified military databases with complete confidence and the vast
majority of Oracle data security breaches are related to inappropriate
configuration and poor design. Oracle is the most sophisticated database
management system on the market, and they offer a wealth of security mechanisms
to guarantee data security:
- Single Sign-on (SSO)
- Grant-level security -
Either "grant
execute" or "grant
access" privileges, with encapsulation into roles.
- Virtual Private Database (VPD)
security
Causes of Oracle data
security beaches
It's actually quite rare to
find an Oracle data security breach that cannot be attributed to sub-optimal
configuration and poor database design. Some of the most common data
security mistakes include:
- Inappropriate Data
Distribution - When Oracle data is maintained outside the control of the
database engine. All secure database keep the data is a safe
centralized location and distribute it according to the data access rules.
- Poor database Design
- It can be a nightmare to enforce security onto a poorly designed database,
especially systems that allow data downloads onto external software such as
MS Excel, etc.
- Incomplete Auditing
- A large amount of data theft is the result of unauthorized access by
system users.
When we read about Oracle
security breaches the newspapers we also always see data security breaches that
are the fault of the DBA and manager, not the Oracle security software.
Today, regulatory compliance rules (SOX, HIPAA) provide criminal penalties for
management malfeasance, and savvy managers always retain Oracle security
auditors to review their data security mechanisms.
 |
BC provides complete Oracle data security assessment and auditing
support, an easy way to validate your data security mechanisms. |
