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Develop a security plan early

As more businesses move online, data security has become an increasingly important concern for companies of all sizes. Breaches can have a devastating impact on your business, both in terms of reputation and financially.  

In today’s digital age, data security is becoming an increasingly important issue for every organization. One of the most critical steps that you can take to protect your data is to create a comprehensive security plan as early in the process as possible, including considerations such as encryption, backup strategies, and classifying your data according to its sensitivity level.

Additionally, it is important to understand the size of your database to appropriately allocate resources towards protecting it and developing appropriate policies regarding its usage both internally and externally.***

Data Policy 

There are many precautionary steps to take when it comes to securing your data and one of those can be the usage of that data internally and externally 

Creating a clear data use policy with defined and firm consequences can avoid any potential mistakes made by employees.

There need to be clear and substantial consequences to breaching this policy.

Proper Training

Using data internally can be just as important as securing it from external threats. Having a policy in place that dictates how data should be used and accessed can help to prevent any accidental or unauthorized use of sensitive information.

Creating a clear and concise data use policy can help to keep your data secure and ensure that it is only being used for authorized purposes.

All employees need to be made aware of your data policy and understand exactly how to approach using your systems. Clear and effective communication is key when updating your data usage.

Know Your Main Threats

To properly secure your database, it’s important to understand the threats that you may be facing. Insider threats, such as employee error or malicious behavior, can pose a serious risk to your data security.

In addition, SQL attacks and overflow exploitation are major concerns when it comes to database security.

There are many different ways to protect your data from these threats.

Some measures, such as training employees on proper data usage and implementing a strong login system, can help to prevent accidental or unauthorized access. Other strategies, such as regular backups and encryption of sensitive information, can help avoid disaster.

Is Your Database Relational Or Non-Relational?

Relational

  • Relational databases are also known are set up in a way that they can be easily normalized. Data is organized into tables that are all connected. Making it easy to add, update, or delete data without affecting the rest of the database.
  • These systems use tables that are all connected. Using either columns rows, or tables. 
  • If new data is entered a new table is formed and then those tables form relationships

Non-Relational

  • Non-Relational Databases also known as NoSQL are document-based systems that store information under different categories depending on different commands.
  • These databases are formed by a collection of objects. Storing data in specific containers that may be related to each other or not. Within this database the information is made up of items such as files, images, and media. 
  • A non-relational database works best when you have large amounts of unconnected data, or when you need to handle relationships between different types of data.***

Data Backup

One of the most important things you can do to secure your data is to backup your database regularly. Losing your data can occur for a variety of reasons, from hardware failures to human error. Backups give you a way to recover from these mistakes and protect your data in the event of an emergency.***

  • Cloud storage and security 
  • Crash plans and data backup systems 
  • Archiving data for reference in case of breach

Different Types Of Data Backup To consider

  • Full — Total data is archived.
  • Differential — All changes since the last full backup are archived.
  • Incremental — Every change since the last backup of any type are archived.

Classify Your Data

Determine which data sets need higher security measures. Create a system that identifies these sets of data and classifies them as such. 

Classifying data into categories that can be used to determine its level of sensitivity. Classification schemes vary, but most systems use a three-tier model that includes public, internal, and confidential data.

Public data is information that can be freely accessed by anyone. Internal data is information that is shared among authorized employees, and confidential data is information that should be restricted to a select few individuals. Careful classification can help you to protect your sensitive data from unauthorized access or use.

Consistently Auditing Your Security

Regularly auditing your database security is an important step in maintaining a strong and effective data protection strategy. An audit typically involves reviewing logs, monitoring system activity, and performing penetration tests to identify potential vulnerabilities.

This allows you to identify any areas in your security practices that may need improvement and provides valuable insights into how your data is being used both by internal users and external parties.

Performing regular security audits can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, but they are essential for ensuring the safety of your data. By taking the time to audit your database security regularly, you can rest assured that your data is well-protected against both internal and external threats.

Data encryption

Encryption is another key tool for securing your database from external threats. Data is encrypted at rest, which means that it is protected even when it’s stored on a server or in the cloud. 

If you use EFS to protect data, unauthorized users cannot view a file’s content even if they have full access to the device. When an authorized user opens an encrypted file, EFS decrypts the file in the background and provides an unencrypted copy to the application.

Types of Encryptions

  • At rest encryption: protects your database from unauthorized access, even if data is stored on a server or in the cloud.
  • In motion encryption: secures transmitted data as it moves between servers, databases, and servers using SSL or TLS. Try to prevent attackers from intercepting sensitive information to gain unauthorized access to your database.

AES

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a symmetric key encryption cipher approved by the US National Security Agency (NSA) for use in sensitive information systems. AES is a strong encryption algorithm that is used in many different applications, including database security.

SQL

SQL (Structured Query Language)

SQL is a programming language that is used to manage databases. SQL commands are used to perform various operations on database tables, such as retrieving data, inserting new records, and updating existing records.

In order to secure your database from SQL injection attacks, it is important to sanitize user input and use Prepared Statements when querying the database.

RSA

RSA encryption is another encryption standard that can help secure your database from various threats. It uses a combination of an algorithm and public-key cryptography to create unique keys for ensuring data security.

Block Cyphers

A Block Cypher is a type of encryption that uses a block of data to encrypt another block of data. There are commonly used to encrypt database files and can provide a high level of security for your data.

  • Twofish Encryption is a block cipher that can be used in conjunction with other encryption methods to further secure your database.
  • 3DES Encryption is a block cipher that uses three rounds of Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption to provide additional security for your data.

Covering Your Basics

When it comes to securing your database, it is important to take a comprehensive approach that covers all the basics. In addition to using encryption and other security measures, you should also make sure that your database is properly backed up and that you have a plan in place for disaster recovery.

By taking these steps, you can help ensure that your database is protected from various threats and that you can recover from any disasters that may occur.

Whether you are using SQL to query your data or RSA encryption to protect sensitive information, you must have the proper tools and techniques in place for securing your database.

With strong security plan in place, you can rest assured that your data will be protected now and in the future.