431 one (1) full page in length with a minimum of two (2) outside sources.

· WEEK 1: Databases and Security Lesson

·   Databases and Security

Databases are in just about everything we use today. When you are performing any task, think to yourself, Does this involve a database in some way?

As a daily process, communication occurs between people by many mediums, but there is no other medium more utilized than the large internetwork of computer systems we know as the Internet. When we look at some of the transactions that are performed on a daily basis, it is highly likely that there is a database involved. For example, if you open a web page to www.google.com and type a keyword in the textbox to search for, this process starts a series of searches through multiple databases. Another example is when searching for a book in the APUS library, this search is conducted using a database of books known as a catalog. so databases play an integral part in our daily lives; they store millions of pieces of data and more is collected each day (Basta, 2012).

In recent years, we find that technology has expanded to the reaches of utilities and production environments. Many of the utilities we come to rely on so heavily, such as gas, oil and electric, have been tied into the networks we use today. This interconnection allows for many new innovations in keeping everything in working order, but at the same time it also presents some very real threats to security. In reality, an intruder could take down an entire electrical grid which would remove power to millions of customers. An article in CIO Insight gives a great perspective on this and other issues in security where databases play such an important role (CIOInsight, 2011).

With the importance of securing the database infrastructure, we need to look at a multilayered approach to security. As can be seen in many security programs, multiple layers allow for strong security because it adds another roadblock that an intruder has to bypass to get to these systems. This same approach leads us to begin with the foundation of security; the CIA Triad. It all begins with the most basic approach, computer security and moves forward from that point on. Below is a detailed description of the components of the CIA Triad from (Basta, 2012):

· Confidentiality: For a system to provide confidentiality, it needs to do two things: ensure that information maintains its privacy by limiting authorized access to resources; block unauthorized access to resources.

· Integrity: This refers to the efforts taken through policy, procedure, and design in order to create and maintain reliable, consistent, and complete information and systems.

· Availability: This refers to the efforts taken through policy, procedures, and design to maintain the accessibility of resources on a network or within a database. These resources include, but are not limited to, data, applications, other databases, computers, servers, applications, files, drives, shares, and network access.

Database Structure, Models and Management

A database alone is just a single collection of data that has some organization based on the various groupings necessary for that data. In most cases, the database follows some model of organization, but by itself it is merely just a file filled with information. So what is needed is a way to bring all of these together, which allows us to introduce the database management system (DBMS).  Quite simply, a DBMS is an application that is used to combine databases and allow the addition and modification of data held within a database.  A DBMS also allows for added functionality to manipulate data in many ways. For example, going back to the Google search example, we can search for specific criteria, which then creates a search of databases within that criteria; this is also known as a query.

A database is made up of several components that aid in the organization of data. The highest level is the table then moves on to records, columns, rows, fields, etc. You can see an example in the text by reviewing figure 2.1.

Database records usually need a starting point, such as an identifier to make the record unique from others. This can be done in many ways, but what this is known as in a database is a key. There are two major categories of a database key; the primary key and the foreign key but there are other keys that could be used. Below is the definition given by (Basta, 2012):

· Primary Key: It is a best practice, but not necessary, to use keys that are meaningful to the data being stored. Examples of primary keys are employee ID numbers, student IDs, ISBNs, and Social Security numbers.

· Foreign Key: A foreign key is a field within a table that contains a label that is used to build a relationship between two tables. Use Figure 2-2 to aid the discussion.

· Other Keys: The use of the following keys depends on the administrator, the DBMS, and the database model within an environment: secondary or alternative key, candidate key, sort or control key, and alternate key.

Keys help to map relationships in databases and make it easier to create queries that group data that is being searched.

There are many database models to consider. A database model is a representation of the way data is stored. Note that the model for which a database is constructed also determines the way the data can be retrieved and manipulated. Below are examples of database models that are used.

· Hierarchical Model

· Network Model

· Relational Database

· Object-Oriented Databases

References/Works Sited:

Basta, A. and Zgola, M. (2012).  Database Security, 1st Edition . Florence, KY. Delmar Cengage Learning. ISBN-10/13: 1435453905/9781435453906 

 

CIOInsight (2011). Stronger Database Security Needed, Cyber Attacks Show. CIO Insight. URL:  /access/content/group/science-and-technology-common/ISSC/ISSC431/Reading-Materials/Stronger-Database-Security-Needed-Cyber-Attacks-Show.pdf