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A Complete Guide to Database Security Best Practices

Bineesh Mathew | March 1, 2022 | 316 views

Database Security
Database security is critical because it contains a vast volume of highly sensitive data. These features of the database make it prone to cyber-attacks. However, what measures can be taken to safeguard data against such threats? In addition, some catastrophes, such as system outages, unauthorized access, and data loss, can occur if you do not have best practices for database security.

  • According to the Q3 report of Risk Based Security 2020, 36 billion data were compromised between January and September 2020. The report also emphasizes the importance of adequate database security best practices to prevent data loss.
  • According to IBM, data breach costs increased from USD 3.86 million to USD 4.24 million in 2021. In the 17-year history, this is the highest average total cost.

“We believe that data is the phenomenon of our time. It is the world’s new natural resource. It is the new basis of competitive advantage, transforming every profession and industry. If all of this is true – even inevitable – then cybercrime, by definition, is the greatest threat to every profession, every industry, and every company in the world."

- IBM

Database security practices differ from website security practices. Software solutions, physical actions, and even employee education are part of the former. Therefore, it’s crucial to secure your site to limit the attack routes that cybercriminals might use.

Database Security Challenges

With the evolution of the internet and the growing dependence, numerous services based on internet-based databases have emerged. Therefore, the threats and challenges that databases face have increased manifolds.This provides online foul players increased chances to turn things into their benefits.

Online fraudsters are looking for a chance to get into database accounts and make use of them in their favour. So, there should be a well-planned strtategy to mitigate risks, and understand all the potential breaches.

Some of the challenges and threats faced by database security are:
  • Intellectual property rights
  • Malware
  • Backup attacks
  • Database survivability
  • Physical location security
  • Data quality
  • Human error
  • Insider threats
  • Software vulnerabilities


Database Security Best Practices

The term refers to a set of procedures used to prevent security breaches in a database management system. As a result, the database's reliability can be kept up by following certain rules on a regular basis.

Read on to learn about database management best practices and the steps your company should take to secure them.


Respond to Potential Attacks by Actively Scanning Your Database for Breach Attempts

The more often you check your database for possible data breaches, the more secure you are and the faster you can react to any problems.

You can use monitoring software, such as SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer, SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor, and SQL Power Tools, to keep track of all actions on the database server and receive alerts if there are any breaches. Set up escalation measures in the event of a potential attack to keep your critical information secure.

Another database security best practice is conducting frequent security audits and cybersecurity penetration tests. These allow you to identify potential security flaws and fix them before a breach occurs.


Create Backups for Database to Mitigate Losing Sensitive Information

While it is common to have a back-up of your website, it is critical to back up your database also. This significantly reduces the chances of losing sensitive data because of malicious attacks or data corruption.

Also, to boost database security, ensure that the backup is stored and encrypted on a different server. This ensures that your data is recoverable and secure even if the primary database server is compromised or unavailable.


Regular Updates and Monitoring Can Save you from Hackers and Breaches

Always use the latest database management software, such as MySQL, Microsoft Access, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and dBASE, as an adequate database security best practice. In addition, keep your operating system up to date to stay protected from the latest security threats.

Any program connecting to the database from a third party can pose a security risk. To avoid external flaws, keep all plug-ins up-to-date. Ensure that all database security settings are turned on by default, especially when connected to multiple third-party apps.


Understand the Various Types of Data and How to Categorize to Protect it Effectively

To secure data successfully, you must first understand what types of data you have. Then, your data repositories will be scanned, and the results will be reported using data discovery technologies. Using a data classification technique, you can organize the data into categories. Data discovery engines commonly use regular expressions for their searches, which are highly flexible but challenging to create.

Data detection and classification technology allow you to limit user access to vital data and avoid storing it in insecure locations, lowering the risk of data loss and inappropriate data exposure. All essential or sensitive data should be tagged with a digital signature that indicates its categorization to safeguard it according to its importance to the company.


Summing Up

Database security best practices encompass a wide range of security concerns and activities. However, the most effective security measures discussed in this article help keep your database secure.

Keeping your database safe from unwanted attacks is a multi-faceted task that includes everything from the physical location of the servers to limiting the possibility of human mistakes.

Even though data breaches are becoming rampant, following sound database security best practices reduces the chances of being targeted and helps prevent breaches.


Frequently Asked Questions


What is database security?

Businesses take steps to protect their databases from both internal and external threats. Database security protects the database, the data it holds, the database management system, and the numerous applications that access it.


What are the types of database security threats?

There are many types of database security threats. Some of them are:
  • Insider Threats
  • Human Error
  • Exploitation of Database Software Vulnerabilities
  • SQL/NoSQL Injection Attacks
  • Buffer Overflow Attacks
  • Denial of Service (DoS/DDoS) Attacks
  • Malware
  • An Evolving IT Environment


What are the different types of databases?

Databases can be relational databases, NoSQL databases, cloud databases, columnar databases, wide column databases, object-oriented databases, key-value databases, and hierarchical databases.

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ReasonLabs Unveils Dark Web Monitoring Feature As Part Of Its RAV Online Security Solution

Prnewswire | March 31, 2023

ReasonLabs, the cybersecurity pioneer equipping families and individuals worldwide with the same level of cyber protection utilized by Fortune 500 companies, today announced the addition of a Dark Web Monitoring feature to its RAV Online Security solution, a web extension that provides real-time, 24/7 protection against a range of malicious online activity. The Dark Web Monitoring feature scans tens of thousands of combination lists, leaked databases, and malware data hidden from the surface net—the publicly accessible internet—for mentions of users' personal data, and instantly notifies users when breaches occur. The dark web, a part of the internet that can only be accessed via an anonymizing browser and is invisible to search engines, is frequently used by cybercriminals to engage in illicit online activity. Malicious actors use the dark web to find, buy and sell user data. This can include usernames and passwords; financial information including traditional banking data, cryptocurrency wallets, and credit card numbers; and a range of personally identifiable information such as names, phone numbers, emails, social security numbers, locations, and more. "The dark net is a hotbed of cybercrime where cyberattackers regularly find people's important personal and financial data. It is critical that users be protected at all times, which calls for monitoring the dark web for data breaches and alerting users immediately as and when breaches occur," said Kobi Kalif, CEO of ReasonLabs. "ReasonLabs' Online Security tool, is fully integrated with RAV Endpoint Protection and is now equipped with the Dark Web Monitoring capability, The extension scans both the surface net and dark web around the clock to identify malicious activity impacting our users to ensure they are always protected." "As technology progresses, our digital presence becomes increasingly important as we store valuable information and financial assets online. Unfortunately, the risk of exposure also increases, making it crucial to promptly detect any leaks and take appropriate action to prevent negative consequences in the real world," said Omri Gabai, VP Security Products at ReasonLabs. "That's why we've made the decision to offer our users a critical tool for monitoring the dark web." RAV Online Security protects against threats on the surface net such as URLs, phishing, harmful extensions, suspicious downloads, intrusive cookies and trackers, unauthorized notifications, and pop-ups. Dark Web Monitoring scans keep users up-to-date on any data breaches they may be involved with, and users receive an alert once a new breach occurs. RAV Online Security has more than five million users worldwide and is available as a free download. About ReasonLabs ReasonLabs is a global pioneer in cybersecurity detection and prevention. Powered by machine learning, ReasonLabs' cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing consumer-focused cybersecurity, bringing enterprise-grade protection into the homes of tens of millions of users worldwide. Its innovative engine scans over 2 billion files in 180 countries a day, delivering fast, comprehensive data while providing 24/7 real-time threat detection. Founded in 2016, ReasonLabs is based in New York and Tel Aviv.

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DATA SECURITY, PLATFORM SECURITY, SOFTWARE SECURITY

Launch of Virtru Private Keystore Enables Heightened Privacy and Secure Collaboration in the Cloud

Globenewswire | March 24, 2023

Virtru, the global leader in data-centric security and privacy, today announced the immediate availability of the Virtru Private Keystore, allowing organizations to leverage the power of industry-leading cloud collaboration platforms with the confidence that their data is completely private and shielded from their cloud provider. The Virtru Private Keystore gives businesses a simple way to encrypt their cloud data and store the keys in an environment separate from their cloud provider. It is available for Google Workspace, Google Cloud, and all of Virtru’s products. Privacy-preserving technology has become a top priority for businesses and individuals alike, as evidenced by Google’s rapid expansion of Client-Side Encryption for Google Workspace and customer-managed encryption keys for Google Cloud. Google has undertaken these efforts to win and retain privacy- and compliance-sensitive customers. Virtru is one of a select number of Google-recommended private encryption key management partners to support these initiatives. Paris-based HR tech firm, Maki People, uses Virtru as its key management solution provider for Google Cloud, and views the Virtru Private Keystore as a way to build trust with its customers. “The Virtru Private Keystore is super seamless,” said Benjamin Chino, CPO and Co-Founder, Maki People. “Everything is running smoothly. From a customer standpoint, it really makes a difference – they now feel that they're much more in control, and that Google will not be able to access their data.” “Safeguarding data privacy and control is our top priority, and the Virtru Private Keystore plays a crucial role in helping us achieve this objective,” said Ali Umana, Network Administrator, Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc. Around the world, regulatory requirements continue to tighten. The Virtru Private Keystore helps organizations meet compliance and data sovereignty obligations such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). “Our customers choose Virtru because our products are easy to use, and they integrate seamlessly with the apps they work in every day,” said Bill Bauman, Product Marketing, Virtru. “The Virtru Private Keystore does that, too. It simplifies key management for our customers and runs seamlessly in the background. It does more than just key exchanges, though: It adds policies to the keys and has audit capabilities. So, everyone can collaborate more confidently in the cloud and have final decision over who can access their data.” The Virtru Private Keystore supports the full suite of Virtru products, including Virtru for Microsoft Outlook 365, Virtru for Gmail, Virtru Secure Share, and Virtru Data Protection Gateway, and is a trusted solution for Google Workspace Client-Side Encryption (or CSE, including CSE for Gmail) and Google Cloud External Key Manager (EKM). It can be deployed in a public or private cloud, or a private or co-hosted data center, and supports hardware security modules (HSM), with additional support for HSM Proxy Connector. About Virtru Virtru is a global leader in data privacy and protection. At Virtru, we equip our customers to take control of their data—everywhere it’s shared—through end-to-end encryption for Google, Microsoft, and other data sharing platforms. Our team is creative, collaborative, and passionate about creating a brighter future for data privacy. Above all, we support our colleagues and empower each other to do our best work.

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