Database security refers to the different tools and processes employed in the protection of personal data and sensitive information to prevent unauthorized access and preserve the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data. It includes some practices such as digital and physical access restrictions, encryption, etc. It is one of the significant roles of the database administrator.
The importance of database security to different industries such as banking, finance, IT, eCommerce, etc., cannot be overstated. Many transactions rely on database security as it requires personal and essential details such as credit card details, username, passwords, etc. database security is even more critical now that many people have had to stay back at home and work remotely due to the impact of the pandemic. There are more time and opportunity for hackers and cybercriminals to try and access these data.
According to a paper writing service on the assignment help UK platform, ensuring the database’s security is a delicate issue for many organizations. They need to ensure that data is accessible even though data security is a priority to them. Yet, the more people who can access the data in a database, the less secure the data is. The organization is also non-functional if they don’t grant these access to the database. Hence, organizations like this need to balance the accessibility of their data and the security. They can do this by assigning different levels of data access, establishing strict security protocols, investing in platforms that monitor the database’s activity and security.
Importance of database security
There are very strong financial implications to database security breaches, not to mention the organization’s reputational damage, legal compliance issues, and functionality. All of these depend on the ability to manage data and store it safely.
According to The Ponemon Institute and IBM, the average cost of a security breach in 2020 cost $3.86 million. An insecure database can lead to a security breach. When this happens, the credit card information, passwords, and other sensitive information of millions of users are exposed to hackers and cybercriminals’ hands.
It is important to note that it is not just the big companies with large databases targeted by hackers. All companies, whether small, medium, or big, irrespective of their size, are at risk. There are too many implications resulting from data breaches not taking it seriously: business downtime, huge fines, legal payment, data recovery effort, reputational damage, loss of customers, etc. Many people start to see the business as untrustworthy, and this doesn’t just scare potential partners away; it also scares partners and investors, both current and prospective. It’s a lot to deal with and not something any organization can take lightly.
If the company’s intellectual property, such as inventions, trade secrets, information of company operations, etc., are compromised, then the company’s whole existence is at stake.
Types of data/database security controls
There are various technologies and controls used to ensure the security of data and databases. According to content writers at my-assignment.help in one of the personal statement writing service, these are some of the different types of controls:
- Restricted access: the least-privilege principle should be used to grant access controls. This means that system privileges will be restricted for a user account, and permissions will be granted for computing processes to carry out the assigned functions only.
- Authentication: this process verifies the login credentials (biometrics, passwords, etc.) of a user to ensure that only authorized access is granted. This is a common frontline strategy to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing sensitive information. It is a simple concept, but it is not easy to pull it off. Thankfully, technologies such as breached password detection, multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, etc., are making it easier to ensure the authentication process.
- Data Encryption: this uses an algorithm to scramble sensitive information so that it’s impossible for a third party to read or understand it without the encryption key needed to decrypt and unscramble it. This is an essential tool for data security and is the last defense line after unauthorized access has been made. The information remains useless and meaningless to them. However, securing the encryption key is a total level of data security on its own. Make sure that extremely few people have access.
- Database auditing: one of the best ways to detect suspicious activities around your database and find out possible vulnerabilities is to run database auditing regularly. This will also ensure that you are compliant with regulations and standards of database security.
There are other types of database security controls. Some of these are mentioned in numerous college paper writing services, with common examples being data masking, tokenization, physical access controls, etc.
Some Database Security Best Practices
- Encrypt all your data
- Control access to the database
- Monitor database activity and audit regularly.
- Store only data that are needful and delete unused data.
- Be always ready for potential attacks.
Conclusion
Database security is essential for all businesses and organizations in different industries, irrespective of their size. Every organization is a target for cybercriminals, so you have to play your part to ensure that you aren’t breached because the effect of a breach is usually monumental.
