To protect databases against cybercriminals, businesses and organisations must employ a wide range of protocols and tools. Malicious actors may gain financial gains by gaining access to your sensitive data if it is compromised. To protect themselves against evolving security threats and to maintain integrity in a database, security teams need to be flexible and improve.
This article will address the most serious database security risks and what you can do to prevent them.
1. SQL Injection Attacks
SQL injection is the biggest threat. This attack is performed by entering a query into a SQL form, and if the database interprets the result as “true” it enables access to the database. These attacks are usually targeted at relational database management systems The SQL programming language is used to create the RDBMS.
These attacks aren’t possible on databases that don’t use SQL (NoSQL). NoSQL databases, however, are more secure. targeted queries sent by end-users that use commands to execute malware.
Both of these methods can be equally deadly. They allow you to bypass verification systems, obtaining passwords and then expose the structure and content the database. If an attack succeeds, attackers would have access to the structure and content of the database. free The database contains everything you need.
2. Malware
Malware can be used to attack vulnerabilities in a network and allow access to databases or cause damage. These are vulnerabilities that exist on unprotected networks and can be exploited by a wide range of attack methods.
It is crucial for IT departments to recognize the network’s attack surface in order to prevent malware attacks. An attacker could use a number of weaknesses on the network to attack.
3. DoS/DDoS Attacks
Denial of Service (DoS), is when an attacker sends too many requests to a database server, making the system unstable and crash. An attacker can create these erroneous request and target a particular target. This can cause system downtime and overload the victim with fake requests.
Distributed denial of service (DDoS), attacks use a botnet (a vast network of computers) that creates a massive amount of traffic, which even advanced security systems can’t stop. A cloud-based DoS protection system that helps to reduce suspicious traffic is the best way to defend against such attacks.
4. Poor Permission Management
Most organizations don’t change default security settings after a server has been installed. As recently as a few years back, there were many security settings that could have been changed. many as 20% of companies They were also not changing the default passwords for privileged accounts. These accounts are now vulnerable to attack by hackers who can exploit the default passwords.
Criminals can gain access to the database by obtaining log-in details for privilege accounts. If an attacker knows about inactive accounts, they could also pose a threat. It is this reason permissions management should be at the forefront Use zero trust protocols when creating cybersecurity for the business.
Occasionally, a user can be accidentally given permissions to the database that they shouldn’t have access to. These users are vulnerable to hackers who can use phishing schemes or other techniques to try to download malware to their computers.
Cybercriminals can also attempt to seize control of the organization’s data management system, altering privileges so they can gain database access at any time.
5. Data Backup Exposures
It is a good idea to back up your database frequently. However, often these backups go unprotected and are a target for hackers. For industries with sensitive customer data, like banks or healthcare providers, it is crucial to secure backups.
You can prevent data exposures by:
- Secure your data, including backups.
- Regular audits of databases, and backups, are necessary to track who is accessing these data.
6. A poor auditing
Cybercriminals can exploit a weak audit to gain access to your database, making it non-compliant. Regular auditing is required by all organizations to ensure that every event on the server’s database servers are recorded. Automated systems are best for such auditing.
Ineffective auditing can increase the likelihood of successful cyberattacks. It is important to ensure that automated auditing software doesn’t impact the performance of the entire database.
7. Databanks that aren’t protected due to misconfiguration
Unprotected databases are often the cause of misconfiguration, which means that some accounts or parameters remain unchanged from their original defaults. An experienced attacker could gain access to these defaults. It is important for businesses to ensure the correct management of their database systems. This should be done using strict procedures and regular audits. This should be done by an expert whether it is an internal cybersecurity professional or an external one.
8. Credentials
Cyber-phishing and other forms of social engineering attack include phishing, click-bait advertising It can be used for obtaining log-in credential that can then be used by attackers to access network or database.
9. Data that is not encrypted
Protecting financial information is an essential component of any cybersecurity strategy. Data encryption is therefore a crucial and fundamental part of every cybersecurity policy. Your financial institution needs to encrypt all account information and financial data. It ensures that even if data are stolen, it remains unusable. At least one of these data can be accessed by encryption. cybersecurity law Prescribes encryption of data to ensure compliance with regulation
How to Prevent Database Security Attacks
Below are preventative measures to reduce your database’s vulnerability regarding cybersecurity threats:
- Employee training should be improved so that best practices can be used every day.
- Your network’s attack surface and your database.
- Use a zero trust method
- You can delete inactive accounts or limit privileges for regular users.
- Data encryption and backups.
- You can block potentially harmful web requests
- Monitor who is accessed the database, and analyze usage patterns.
- Use masking to conceal sensitive data in database fields
Conclusion
You can be at risk of many security risks that could pose significant threats to clients and your company’s data. SQL injection is the biggest database security threat, although attacks such as Denial of Service (DoS) and malware are also very serious. You can protect your database by training your staff, using encryption and managing your user privileges.
The Author Isla Sibanda Pretoria’s ethical hacker and cybersecurity expert. For over twelve years, she’s worked as a cybersecurity analyst and penetration testing specialist for several reputable companies – including Standard Bank Group, CipherWave, and Axxess.
Editor’s Note: Tripwire, Inc. does not endorse the views expressed in this guest writer article.
