Logo

Most common database security issues and how to resolve them

Blog image

In today’s digital world, cybersecurity should be a priority. We have offered you a post on how to check if your website is hacked. Today, we would like to take a closer look at one of your most sensitive assets in terms of security — your database. It is also the one that is the most attractive targets for hackers. They are glad to get access to records and documents and steal corporate or personal data, intellectual property, and much more. They can also damage databases in the process. However, you can be more protected, if you consider some common database security issues and ways to fix them.

Database security issues and what to do with them

  • Inadequate permissions

Many databases have permissions for employees that exceed their responsibilities. This can cause both internal and external threats.

First, your own employees can do harm because of negligence or even ill intent. Second, hackers can break an account and seize the chance to use these permissions.

It is also easy to forget to update the permissions or remove the IDs when someone’s role changes or when an employee quits.

The recommendation is to bring perfect order to permissions, use encryption, and work on increasing loyalty within your company. It is also advisable to have as few accounts as possible, since each of them is an opportunity for hackers.

  • Too weak or default logins and passwords

This point is pretty obvious, but is still ignored by many companies. Logins and passwords should not be easy to guess or brute-forced.

Your system should impose strict requirements on the password creation process. And, of course, using default logins is a strict no.

  • Unencrypted data

To make it harder for hackers to intercept your network traffic, it is necessary to use encryption. You can apply different levels of encryption for your data.

  • Poor key management

It is important to not only encrypt your data, but also to be careful with the encryption keys — where they are stored and who has access to them.

  • No protection against SQL injections

Placing malicious code into your SQL statements is one of the most popular hacking tricks that is capable of destroying your database.

To prevent this, it is recommended that you scan and sanitize the incoming queries, avoid dynamic SQL, use firewalls, remember to check permission and password security, apply encryption, rely on security testing, etc.

  • Backups easy to steal

Backups help you never lose your data, but they can also present an opportunity for hackers. So their protection needs your special attention. This includes user access, data encryption, and more.

  • Outdated software

When new versions of software are released, they often have security holes patched. Make sure you have your database software updated or apply the relevant security patches.

  • Logging not configured

In case of attack, logs let you know what exactly happened, so logging needs to be configured properly.

Final thoughts

These are the most common database security issues, but there are still many others. Our DevOps team can conduct a security audit for you to find and fix all possible issues, as well as future-proof your database.

All your data and, consequently, your reputation, money, and business, will be well-protected against cybercriminals. Contact us and stay safe!