Software Testing Strategy

Database security is one of the most critical issues that organizations are trying to manage. Databases contain vital information that organizations have to protect. Unauthorized access to databases may cause irreparable damage to the concerned organization. It is, therefore, imperative for organizations to have a proper security system in place to prevent unrestricted access to classified data.

Database security design should be based on a multi-factor security model. In this type of model, security checks are imposed at each and every stage. The roles of individuals accessing the database are defined and checks and balances are applied to restrict access to information that is pertinent to their job role. This process is managed by the database administrator to moderate and maintain the integrity of an organizations data.

First and foremost, a database administrator should keep a strict check on people who have unlimited access to the database. Various measures can be taken to achieve this difficult task. There should be rules governing the use and access of database by employees. They should not be allowed to access database from remote places. Access to information from outside the company intranet should not be permitted. Also, after a certain limit of time people should be disabled from making any changes to the data.

Access to information should be based on the employee's responsibilities and tasks. They should not have access to information outside their domains. In large organizations, roles of database administrators are separated from those of security administrators. Database administrators should have access to information relevant to their own area of expertise. Security administrators should make sure that access to highly confidential reports like employee records not required by them are inaccessible. Also, in case of a security breech, back up copies should always be in place.

In cases, where it is important for employees to have access to sensitive information, regulatory measures must be well defined and properly implemented. The employees should not have resources to modify the schema, that is, the information that they can access should be read only. This further helps the security administrators minimize database security issues and separates the management from infrastructure.

With an ever increasing dependence on Internet, organizations are at an all time high risk. Therefore, measures should be taken to secure databases from cyber criminals. Database servers should never cater to people directly. An interface with a web server would disable unauthorized entry into the database. Most criminals hunt for open ports that databases use by default. This security loop can be easily covered up by using different ports as per the company's requirements.

Even though it requires regular, meticulous planning on the part of security administrators, database management security is necessary to maintain data assets. Database security should be an important part of any companies policy agenda.

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