Database security: Definition, Risks, Types, Importance and Threats

DATA SECURITY DEFINITION:

Data security refers to the practices implemented to safeguard data from unauthorized access and corruption. Its primary objective is to ensure the privacy and protection of personal or corporate information.

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DATA SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT:

Conducting a risk assessment helps identify potential threats and the potential consequences of data loss, whether it occurs through theft, malware infection, or system crashes.

SECURING DATA:

To effectively protect data from misuse or theft, a combination of technical measures, physical security, and well-informed staff is crucial. It is important to establish clearly defined policies within the infrastructure and effectively communicate them to the staff.

TYPES OF DATA SECURITY CONTROLS:

Access Control: This involves selectively restricting access to resources, such as a place or information, with authorization determining permission levels.
Auditing: Database auditing involves monitoring user actions to ensure unauthorized access is detected and prevented.
Authentication: Authentication validates user credentials to gain access to systems or accounts, often requiring multiple factors like passwords, smart cards, or biometrics.
Encryption: Encryption employs mathematical algorithms to transform data into unreadable text, which can only be decrypted by those possessing the associated key.
Backup: The process of creating copies and archiving computer data, allowing for data restoration in the event of loss or damage.
Password: A sequence of secret characters that grants access to files, programs, computer systems, and other resources.

IMPORTANCE OF DATA SECURITY:

Data security is vital for businesses and home users alike. Client information, payment details, personal files, and bank account information are difficult to replace and can be highly detrimental if accessed by unauthorized individuals. While natural disasters like floods or fires can cause significant data loss, the consequences of hacking or malware attacks can be even more severe.

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MAJOR THREATS TO DATA SECURITY:

Human or software/hardware errors leading to accidents.
Hackers steal sensitive information and perpetrate fraud.
Data integrity compromise.
Improper access to personal or confidential data.
Loss of data availability due to sabotage, viruses, or worms.

INTEGRITY CONTROLS:

BACKUPS: Backups involve copying and archiving computer data to recover lost or corrupted data. They serve the purpose of data recovery and adhering to data retention policies.

APPLICATION SECURITY: Application security entails the use of software, hardware, and procedural methods to protect applications from external threats.

THE ROLE OF A DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR IN DATA SECURITY:

A database administrator (DBA) is responsible for various tasks related to database management, including installation, configuration, administration, monitoring, and maintenance. DBAs develop strategies, optimize database performance, ensure system security, enforce compliance, manage user access, plan backups and recovery, maintain archives, generate reports, and seek technical support from database vendors.