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Security in Database Systems

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Security in Database Systems

good for revision

Uploaded by

mungai.allan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Security, Integrity and Control

Introduction
This chapter highlights the importance of protecting the data against any risks, threats
and vulnerabilities,
Terminology
Security: protection of data from accidental or deliberate threats, which might cause
unauthorized modification disclosure or destruction of data and the protection of the Information
System from the degradation of non-availability of services.

Data integrity: Applies when data are the same as in source documents and have not been
accidentally
or intentionally altered, destroyed or disclosed.

System Integrity: Refers to the system operation conforming to the design specifications despite
attempts to make it behave incorrectly

Risks: Various dangers to information systems, the people, hardware, software, data and other
assets with which they are associated.

Threats: Refer to people, actions, events or other situations that could trigger losses, they are
potential causes of loss

Vulnerabilities: Flaws, problems or other conditions that make a system open/prone to


threats.

Controls: Are counter measures to threats. They are tools that are used to counter risks from
the variety of people, actions, events or situations that can threaten an IS. Are used to identify
risk, prevent risk, reduce risks and recover from actual losses.

Common Threats
i. Natural disasters
E.g. five, floods, water damage, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, mud slides, wind
and storm damage
Security planning should consider
 Disaster prevention
 Disaster containment
 Disaster recovery

e.g. Prevention: Use of backup power supplies or special building materials, locations,
drainage system or structural modifications to avoid damage during floods, storms fires and
earthquakes.
Containment: Consider sprinkler systems, halon gas fire
Suppression: System or watertight ceilings to contain water damage from fire hoses.
Recovery: developing contingency plans for use of computer facilities of vendors or non-
Competitors with similar computer systems

ii. Employee errors


Ordinary carelessness or poor employee training e.g. formatting the hard disk rather than drive
A, keying incorrect data.

iii. Computer crime, fraud and abuse


Computer crime: stealing data, damaging or vandalizing hard ware, software or data or using
computer software illegally or committing fraud.

iv. Industrial espionage


It’s the theft of original data by competitors. Also called economic espionage
v. Hacking
Also known as cracking. It’s the unauthorized entry by a person into a computer
system or network.
Hackers are people who illegally gain access to the computer systems of others.
They can insert viruses onto networks, steal data and software, damage data or vandalize a
system.
vi. Toll Fraud
Swindling companies and organizations e.g. through telephone bills through false pretences
– e.g. use of slugs instead of real coins
Toll hackers use maintenance ports, modem pools, voice mail systems, automated
attendants or other facilities of PBX, the private branch exchanges that are the computerized
telephone switches at customer sites.
Signs of frauds:
1. Numerous short calls
2. Simultaneous use of one telephone access mode
3. Numerous calls after business hours
4. Large increases in direct inward system access dialing or
DISA

vii. Data diddling


Use of a computer system by employees to forge documents or change data in records for
gain.

viii. Trojan horses and salami slicing


This is a change in code that is made to a program without authorization.
It appears to be performing a proper task but may actually perform a variety of mischievous or
criminal activities e.g. printing paychecks to employees or vendors who don’t exist.

ix. Trap doors


These are procedures or code that allows a person to avoid the usual security procedures for
use of or access to a system or data.

x. Computer viruses
A computer virus is a hidden program that inserts itself into your computer system and forces
the system to clone the virus (i.e. it replicates itself.)
They may cause serious damage by modifying data, erasing files or formatting disks.
e.g. cruise or stealth virus might lie dormant until it can capture financial information and
transmit the data to thieves
Antivirus programs or vaccination products can be used. Antivirus programs help in:
Preventing the virus program inserting itself in your system
 Detecting a virus program so you can take emergency action
 Controlling the damage virus can do once they have been detected.
Hardware theft and vandalism
Software privacy – any reproduction or a copyright program is theft.

Security policy and contingency plans


A security policy will include the following: Identification of risks, Qualification of risks,
Identification of counter-measures, Costing of counter-measures, selection of counter-measures,
implementation of counter-measures, drawing up of a contingency plan. Risk Analysis.

A contingency can be defined as 'an unscheduled interruption of computing services that


requires measures outside the day-to-day routine operating procedures.

A contingency plan must therefore provide for standby procedures so that operations can be
performed while normal services are disrupted, recovery procedures, personnel management
policies.

Security measures (controls)


The nucleus of security lies in the design of the computer system and its programs. However
design of a tightly controlled it’s not by itself. A layer of other controls must surround it. Therefore
we can view security of the database as a group of layers of protection.

Database controls

Accees controls

Physical security

Administrative control

Legal protection
Administrative Controls

These are the controls by non-computer based measures. They include:

 Personnel controls e.g. selection of personnel and division of responsibility.

 Secure positioning of equipment

 Physical access controls

 Building controls

 Contingency plans

P C Controls

They include the following:


 Keyboard lock

 Password

 Locking disks

 Training

 Virus scanning

 Policies and procedures on software copying

Database Controls

A number of controls are embedded into DBMS, these includes:

 granting of privileges and ownership, authentication

 Views

 Backup and Recovery

Checkpoints - the point of synchronization between database and transactions log


file. All buffers are force written to storage

Integrity checks e.g. relationships, lookup tables, and validations.

Encryption - coding of data by special algorithm that renders them unreadable without
decryption key

 Journaling - maintaining log file of all changes made


 Database Repair

Development Controls

When a database system is developed, there should be controls over the design, development
and testing e.g.

Testing e.g. program testing, system testing and user department's acceptance testing

 Formal Technical Review

Controls over changes by use configuration management

 Controls over file conversion

Document Standards

They include the following:

 Standards are required for the documentation such as:

 Requirement Specification

 Program Specification

 Operations Manual

 User Manual

Legal Issues

They include the following:

 Escrow Agreements - legal contracts concerning s/w

 Maintenance Agreements

 Copyrights

 Licenses

 Privacy (Data Protection Act)

Other Controls

They include controls such as:Hardware Controls e.g. device interlocks which prevent input or
output of data from being interrupted or terminated, once begun

Data Communication Controls e.g. error detection and correction.

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