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Database Security

“Why do I need to secure my database server? No one can access it —it’s in a DMZ protected by the firewall!” This is often the response when it is recommended that such devices are included within a security health check. In fact, database security is paramount in defending an organizations information, as it may be indirectly exposed to a wider audience than realized.

This is the first of two articles that will examine database security. In this article we will discuss general database security concepts and common problems. In the next article we will focus on specific Microsoft SQL and Oracle security concerns.

Database security has become a hot topic in recent times. With more and more people becoming increasingly concerned with computer security, we are finding that firewalls and Web servers are being secured more than ever(though this does not mean that there are not still a large number of insecure networks out there). As such, the focus is expanding to consider technologies such as databases with a more critical eye.

◆Common sense security

Before we discuss the issues relating to database security it is prudent to high- light the necessity to secure the underlying operating system and supporting technologies. It is not worth spending a lot of effort securing a database if a vanilla operating system is failing to provide a secure basis for the hardening of the data- base. There are a large number of excellent documents in the public domain detailing measures that should be employed when installing various operating systems.

One common problem that is often encountered is the existence of a database on the same server as a web server hosting an Internet (or Intranet) facing application. Whilst this may save the cost of purchasing a separate server, it does seriously affect the security of the solution. Where this is identified, it is often the case that the database is openly connected to the Internet. One recent example I can recall is an Apache Web server serving an organizations Internet offering, with an Oracle database available on the Internet on port 1521. When investigating this issue further it was discovered that access to the Oracle server was not protected (including lack of passwords), which allowed the server to be stopped. The database was not required from an Internet facing perspective, but the use of default settings and careless security measures rendered the server vulnerable.

The points mentioned above are not strictly database issues, and could be classified as architectural and firewall protection issues also, but ultimately it is the database that is compromised. Security considerations have to be made from all parts of a public facing net- work. You cannot rely on someone or something else within your organization protecting your database fr om exposur e.

◆ Attack tools are now available for exploiting weaknesses in SQL and Oracle

I came across one interesting aspect of database security recently while carrying out a security review for a client. We were performing a test against an intranet application, which used a database back end (SQL) to store client details. The security review was proceeding well, with access controls being based on Windows authentication. Only authenticated Windows users were able to see data belonging to them. The application itself seemed to be handling input requests, rejecting all attempts to access the data- base directly.We then happened to come across a backup of the application in the office in which we were working. This media contained a backup of the SQL database, which we restored onto our laptop. All security controls which were in place originally were not restored with the database and we were able to browse the complete database, with no restrictions in place to protect the sensitive data. This may seem like a contrived way of compromising the security of the system, but does highlight an important point. It is often not the direct approach that is taken to attack a target, and ultimately the endpoint is the same; system compromise. A backup copy of the database may be stored on the server, and thus facilitates access to the data indirectly.

There is a simple solution to the problem identified above. SQL 2000 can be configured to use password protection for backups. If the backup is created with password protection, this password must be used when restoring the password. This is an effective and uncomplicated method of stopping simple capture of backup data. It does however mean that the password must be remembered!

◆Curr ent tr ends

There are a number of current trends in IT security, with a number of these being linked to database security.

The focus on database security is now attracting the attention of the attackers. Attack tools are now available for exploiting weaknesses in SQL and Oracle. The emergence of these tools has raised the stakes and we have seen focused attacks against specific data- base ports on servers exposed to the Internet.