According to Risk Based Security’s 2020 Q3 report, around 36 billion records were compromised between January and September 2020. While this result is quite staggering, it also sends a clear message of the need for effective database security measures.

Database security measures are a bit different from website security practices. The former involve physical steps, software solutions and even educating your employees. However, it’s equally important to protect your site to minimize the potential attack vectors that cyber criminals could exploit.

Let’s look at 10 database security best practices that can help you to bolster your sensitive data’s safety.

1. Deploy physical database security

Data centers or your own servers can be susceptible to physical attacks by outsiders or even insider threats. If a cybercriminal gets access to your physical database server, they can steal the data, corrupt it or even insert harmful malware to gain remote access. Without additional security measures, it’s often difficult to detect these types of attacks since they can bypass digital security protocols.

When choosing a web hosting service, make sure it’s a company with a known track record of taking security matters seriously. It’s also best to avoid free hosting services because of the possible lack of security.

If you house your own servers, adding physical security measures such as cameras, locks and staffed security personnel is highly suggested. Furthermore, any access to the physical servers should be logged and only given to specific people in order to mitigate the risk of malicious activities.

2. Separate database servers

Databases require specialized security measures to keep them safe from cyberattacks. Furthermore, having your data on the same server as your site also exposes it to different attack vectors that target websites.

Suppose you run an online store and keep your site, non-sensitive data and (Read more...)