1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

Satori has been recognized twice as a sample vendor in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Data Security 2023
(https://satoricyber.com/satori-on-gartners-hype-cycle-for-data-security-2023/?l=navbar&f=site-gen)

(https://satoricyber.com)
Guide: Database Security

Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

What Is Database Security?

Database security is a set of practices and technologies used to protect database
management systems from malicious cyberattacks and unauthorized use.
Database security is a complex task that combines several information security
disciplines—application security, data security (https://satoricyber.com/data-
security/what-is-data-security-threats-controls-and-solutions/), and endpoint
security.

The goal of database security is to protect against misuse, data corruption, and
intrusion, not only of the data in the database, but of the data management system
itself and applications that access the database. Another aspect of database
security is protecting and hardening the physical or virtual server hosting the
database, and the surrounding computing and network environment.

In this article we cover the following database security best practices:

1. Separate Database Servers and Web Servers

2. Database Encryption At Rest And In Transit
3. Use Strong Authentication
4. Continuously Discover Sensitive Data
5. Separate Tests From Production
6. Revoke Privileges Continuously
7. Deploy Physical Database Security

https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 1/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

8. Ensure Database User Accounts are Secure

9. Monitor Database Activity
10. Conduct Security Tests

Download The Data Security Guide (PDF)

(https://satoricyber.com/linkout/44690)

1. Separate Database Servers and Web

Servers
Separate your web server from your database server to improve security by
maintaining isolation and preventing lateral movement. With separate servers,
attackers cannot access the database even if they hack your admin account on the
web server.

Keep any non-critical servers or programs separate from your database server.
These servers might need to communicate for specific tasks, but they are not
necessary for operating the database. When you enable communication, ensure you
limit the permissions to the minimum required for successful operations. The
principle of least privilege helps restrict an attacker’s ability to damage your
database.

https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 2/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

2. Database Encryption At Rest And In Transit

Strong encryption is a basic best practice for database security. Encrypt all
database connections using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, protecting
data in transit. You should also encrypt any disks containing a data store to prevent
data loss or theft.

Leverage column-level encryption to ensure the confidentiality of sensitive data

fields.

3. Use Strong Authentication

Database authentication is the process of confirming that users or service accounts
attempting to connect to the database are who they say they are. A related process
is authorization, which determines, based on the confirmed identity, what
permissions the account should have on the database.

Because databases are almost always mission critical systems, all databases
should have strong authentication enabled. If possible, use two-factor
authentication, for example by combining a password or PIN with something the
user owns, such as a security token or mobile phone.

4. Continuously Discover Sensitive Data

Many databases contain a mix of sensitive and non-sensitive data. If this is the
case, you need to continuously audit your data and identify which tables or columns
in your database are sensitive and require special protection. If you don’t know
where sensitive data lives, you cannot adequately protect it, and this can result in
compliance violations and data breaches.

Some regulations and compliance standards, especially in industries like

healthcare, financial services, and telecom, have specific data discovery
requirements. Make sure you follow the compliance standards that affect your

https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 3/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

organization in general and specific database workloads.

Related content: Read our guide to data security management

(https://satoricyber.com/data-security/the-6-pillars-of-data-security-management/)

5. Separate Tests From Production

A common cause of data breaches is that sensitive production data is stored on a
database in a testing or staging environment, which is not as well protected as the
production environment. Ensure that:

Test environments are physically separate from production environments.

Test environments have separate roles and permissions than production
environments, and developers should not get access to production
environments unless absolutely necessary.
Test environments never contain real production data. Instead, you should
create synthetic or anonymized datasets to enable testing on realistic data.
There should be a strict, controlled process for promoting a database from
testing to production, ensuring that the new version does not introduce bugs or
security issues.

Learn more:

Blog: Data Security Projects Keep Data Teams Away From Their Core
Responsibilities (https://blog.satoricyber.com/data-security-projects-keep-
data-teams-away-from-their-core-responsibilities/?l=l-middle&f=datasec-
dbsec-bp)
How Satori’s Data Security Platform Helps Scale Your Data Security Across
Databases, Data Warehouses, and Data Lakes
(https://satoricyber.com/product/?l=l-middle&f=datasec-dbsec-bp)
Set a demo meeting (https://satoricyber.com/get-a-demo/?l=l-
middle&f=datasec-dbsec-bp)

https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 4/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

6. Revoke Privileges Continuously

Be vigilant about enforcing the principle of least privilege. Users should have access
to a database only as long as they need it for their daily roles, and should only have
the exact permissions they need to carry out their role. When a user no longer
requires a permission, it must be revoked.

Privilege creep is a common problem in database systems, where additional

privileges are granted as needed and are not revoked. A good way to manage
excessive privileges is a privilege access management (PAM) system. These
systems provide visibility of all permissions granted to sensitive systems, and can
assign “just in time” privileges for individuals performing maintenance on a
database, revoking them automatically when maintenance is complete.

7. Deploy Physical Database Security

Your data center or database server may be vulnerable to physical infiltration by
threat actors (both outside and within your company). If infiltrators or malicious
insiders can physically access your database server, they might exfiltrate or corrupt
your data or install malware that grants them remote access.

Cyber-attacks that exploit physical security vulnerabilities may be difficult to prevent

or detect with digital security controls alone. You should apply additional security
measures to protect physical assets, including machines, storage facilities, or
workspaces with access to sensitive data.

If you use a hosting service, ensure it has a good reputation and takes security
seriously. Don’t use a free hosting service that may lack adequate security. If you
host your servers, implement physical security measures and restrict physical
access to essential personnel. Protect sensitive areas with locks, cameras, and
security staff. Maintain a log of all access to restricted areas to enable the
investigation and mitigation of a breach.
https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 5/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

8. Ensure Database User Accounts are Secure

Restrict database access to the minimum number of users required. Only provide
the administrative privileges required to complete a job, restricting access to the
times your users need it. Comprehensive access management might not be
practical for smaller organizations, but it is still important to manage permissions
via roles or groups and not grant them directly to individual users.

If your organization is larger, consider using an automated access management

solution. Access management software can generate temporary passwords with
limited privileges, so authorized users must authenticate every time they access the
database. This approach prevents password sharing and ensures that all sessions
and activities are properly logged. Administrators might want to share passwords
for the sake of convenience, but you should not allow this practice as it complicates
accountability.

Secure user accounts using these standard procedures:

Establish and enforce a strong password policy

Encryption stored password hashes
Enable automatic account locking after several login attempts
Establish a policy for deactivating accounts when employees switch to
different roles or leave the company.

9. Monitor Database Activity

Monitor all logins and login attempts to your database and operating system.
Regularly review the logs to identify anomalous activity. You might set up an
alerting system to notify relevant individuals or teams of suspicious activity.

https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 6/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

Continuous monitoring allows you to identify compromised accounts quickly if an

attacker breaches your databases or an employee performs a suspicious or
negligent task. Monitoring also helps you identify the creation of unauthorized
accounts (i.e., a hacker creating an account without your permission) or when users
share accounts.

Use a database activity monitoring (https://satoricyber.com/data-

security/database-activity-monitoring-uses-features-how-to-choose/) (DAM)
solution to provide independent monitoring and help keep track of admin activity.
Keep database activity logs and conduct regular audits to provide records for
investigation purposes.

10. Conduct Security Tests

Once you’ve implemented your security policy, you need to test its effectiveness
regularly. Perform penetration testing to identify unsecured aspects of your
database and conduct frequent vulnerability assessments. Security testing allows
you to discover and fix issues quickly before they result in a breach.

Leverage available tools for vulnerability scans and penetration tests to help
discover vulnerabilities. Conduct all security tests and scans before you launch the
database.

Database Security with Satori

Satori, The DataSecOps platform, gives companies the ability to enforce security
policies from a single location, across all databases, data warehouses and data
lakes. Such security policies can be data masking, data localization, row-level
security and more.

Learn more:

Blog: Data Security Projects Keep Data Teams Away From Their Core
Responsibilities (https://blog.satoricyber.com/data-security-projects-keep-
https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 7/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

data-teams-away-from-their-core-responsibilities/?l=l-bottom&f=datasec-
dbsec-bp)
How Satori’s Data Security Platform Helps Scale Your Data Security Across
Databases, Data Warehouses, and Data Lakes
(https://satoricyber.com/product/?l=l-bottom&f=datasec-dbsec-bp)
Set a demo meeting (https://satoricyber.com/get-a-demo/?l=l-
bottom&f=datasec-dbsec-bp)

This article was originally published at November 4, 2023

Advanced Technology Partner

SOC 2 TYPE II

ISO/IEC 27001

2022 AWS Global Security

G2 High Performer 2023

Technology Partner

Data Governance

https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 8/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

PRODUCT

Access Control(https://satoricyber.com/fine-grained-access-control/)
Auditing & Monitoring(https://satoricyber.com/data-access-auditing-monitoring/)

Data Classification(https://satoricyber.com/continuous-data-discovery-classification/)
Data Masking(https://satoricyber.com/dynamic-data-masking/)

Product Overview(https://satoricyber.com/product/)
Self-Service Access(https://satoricyber.com/decentralized-data-access-workflows/)

RESOURCES

Case Study(https://satoricyber.com/category/case-study)

Partnership Opportunities(https://satoricyber.com/partner-with-us/)
Product Documentation(https://satoricyber.com/docs/)
Schedule A Demo!(https://satoricyber.com/get-a-demo/)

Solution Brief(https://satoricyber.com/resources/?solution_briefs)
Technology(https://satoricyber.com/product/)
Videos(https://satoricyber.com/videos/)

COMPANY

Careers(https://satoricyber.com/career/)
Company(https://satoricyber.com/company/)
Contact us(https://satoricyber.com/contact-us/)

Cookies policy(https://satoricyber.com/cookies/)
Events(https://satoricyber.com/events/)
News(https://satoricyber.com/satori-news/)

Our Team(https://satoricyber.com/company/#team)

https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 9/10
1/1/24, 11:16 AM Top 10 Database Security Best Practices

Privacy notice(https://satoricyber.com/privacy-policy/) (htt

ps:/
(htt
Terms of service(https://satoricyber.com/terms-of-use/)
/ww
ps:/ (htt w.li
/ww ps:/ nke
w.fa /twi din.
ceb tter. com
ook. co /co
co m/S mp
m/S ator any
ator
© 2023 Satori CyberiCy
Ltd, All rights reserved
/sat
iCy ber) oric
ber) ybe
r)

https://satoricyber.com/database-security/top-10-database-security-best-practices/ 10/10