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Database Security Best Practices: The Essential Guide

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In 2021, an F-35 fighter jet is more likely to be taken out by a cyberattack than a missile. In the digital age, the threat of an attack is everywhere and constantly growing. If your company or agency fails to adhere to database security best practices, you risk a lot. Items at risk include your valuable data, public trust and your brand’s good name.

Forbes reports that 78% of companies lack confidence in their current security posture, pointing out that cyber crime surged during 2020.

Read on as we explore the benefits of database security. What network security best practices can you use to safeguard against threats? In the end, you’ll have the blueprint to keep your data safe and your users and customers happy.

What Is Database Security?

Database security is an information security methodology that includes tools, controls and processes. It is used to uphold the confidentiality, integrity and availability of database management systems by protecting them against unauthorized access, illegitimate use and malicious cyberattacks.

This means it helps protect several critical assets:

  • The database management system
  • The data in the database
  • Any related applications or integrations
  • The database servers (both physical and virtual)
  • The hardware
  • The computing and network infrastructure people use to access the database.

When a database is easier to access and use, it is more at risk from threats. As security teams increase protection measures, the database becomes more resistant to threats. The caveat is it also becomes more difficult to access and use.

However, despite the potential friction in the user experience, organizations have little choice but to err on the side of caution now. Data breaches are a regular occurrence in recent years, as bad actors and high-tech cyberattacks are prevalent.

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The Benefits of Database Security

There was a 430% growth in next-gen cyber attacks in 2020. As technologies advance, cybercriminals experiment with new strategies to attack and breach networks. And so, security teams must remain vigilant to fend off damaging attacks.

Here are four reasons to maintain a proactive approach to database security in 2021 and beyond:

Data Protection Is Asset Protection

A database breach is no small event. Whether it’s an insider threat or a threat actor that gains access to your network, threat actors can quickly wreak havoc in a database.

A surge of ransomware attacks in 2020 hit the education and health care sectors hard, with some targets facing ransoms of up to $40 million. Another problem is the threat of direct denial-of-service attacks. This is a worry for retail companies riding the waves of a resurgent e-commerce industry.

When you invest more resources in devising more robust database security, you can prevent breaches and reduce the chances of attacks like viruses, ransomware and firewall intrusion.

Reducing Human Error Improves Data Security

According to a Varonis report, 95% of cybersecurity breaches are the result of human error. Today, 30,000 websites are breached every day. Companies have enough worries without someone on their own team leaving the back door open.

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Thankfully, database security and automation go hand-in-hand. Machine learning technology and automated detection help you detect and identify vulnerabilities and security threats in real-time. With quicker insights and more accurate monitoring and analysis, there is less chance of false positives and more chance that you can react in time to prevent genuine cyberattacks.

As you use automation with database security, you can free up your team to focus on other tasks and get protection around the clock. You can also use intelligent automation to manage security patches, which further reduces human error and saves time and costs.

Strengthen Customer Relationships

Data privacy is much more than a box-ticking exercise to keep the regulatory bodies happy. Consumers are cautious about what they share online and who they share it with. That makes database security vital for building trust with your target market.

Deloitte says 73% of consumers are more open to sharing details if they feel an organization is transparent about how they will use the data. So, address people’s concerns around privacy. Be clear about how you intend to use data to improve the user experience. That way, you can build stronger connections with your customers.

Protect Your Brand’s Name With Data Security

It may be a data-driven age, but the customer is still king. If you lose the trust of your customers, it’s hard to get it back. SecureLink reports 87% of consumers will never do business with a company again after being hit with a data breach. Just as trust can foster customer loyalty, the loss of trust can send them running to your rivals.

People want to know that what they share will remain protected and private. If they have any doubts on this front, you may struggle to attract customers or scale your business. Once people see an organization in a bad light where data privacy is considered, it’s almost impossible to recover.

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10 Essential Database Security Best Practices

It’s clear why database security matters in 2021. But how can you improve your security posture to become more cyber resilient?

Here are 10 database security best practices you can start using. The sooner you put these in play, the more prepared you will be.

Keep Your Database Servers Separate

Do you keep your data and website on the same server? If so, you run the risk of losing everything in one swoop. For example, an attacker could compromise your e-commerce store website and then move sideways in the network to access your database.

Avoid this pitfall by keeping your database servers isolated. Not only should it be on a separate physical machine, but it should not be connected to any other server or application.

Add an HTTPS Proxy Server

A proxy server is a specific application that evaluates and routes HTTP requests from workstations to the database server. You can think of it as the gatekeeper that prevents unauthorized access.

With the rise in online business, e-commerce and information sharing, proxy servers are a vital tenet of database security. Add this feature to your security infrastructure to encrypt all data and offer users more peace of mind when sharing sensitive information like their passwords or payment details.

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One Firewall Isn’t Enough for Good Data Protection

A firewall denies traffic by default, offering a robust first layer in your database security framework. You can protect your database with a firewall, but it won’t stop SQL injection attacks. These attacks may come from a permitted web application, enabling the perpetrator to sneak in or delete data in your database.

Therefore, you’ll need to add more than one type of firewall. Most of the time, these three will cover your network:

  • Packet filter firewall
  • Stateful packet inspection
  • Proxy server firewall.

Just remember to configure them correctly and keep them updated.

Update all Software and Applications Often

Most (95%) websites use outdated software products. Whether it’s a WordPress plugin or legacy software, too many businesses leave their networks exposed to attacks with dated software.

Make a habit of updating all plugins, widgets and third-party apps on your site and network. Also, avoid using any software that the developer doesn’t update often.

Be Proactive With Real-Time Database Monitoring

Database security is all about remaining vigilant. The more you monitor, the less you miss. With reliable real-time monitoring software, you can conduct the following security activities:

  • Monitor all operating systems login attempts
  • Periodic reviews of all logs to check for oddities
  • Create alerts to notify the security team of any potential threat or suspicious behavior
  • Devise escalation protocols to ensure your sensitive data remains safe in the event of an attack.

Create Backups and Use Data Encryption Protocols

No doubt you know about the importance of encrypting stored data. However, many people don’t realize how crucial it is to encrypt data when it’s on the move.

Make sure you create backups on a schedule and store these encrypted backups apart from the decryption keys. That way, even if your data falls into the wrong hands, the information will stay safe.

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Keep a Close Eye on Ports (and Stop Using Default Ports)

Default network ports are somewhat of an Achilles’ heel in modern database security. Attackers will target these ports with brute force attacks, which use automation to try every combination of password and username to gain access. Data-stealing ransomware PonyFinal uses this method to breach networks.

Make sure all ports are closed unless using them for an active business case that you have documented, reviewed and approved. You should monitor all ports in your network and investigate any strange incidents or unexpected open ports right away. Lastly, stop using default ports. It’s not worth the risk.

Good User Authentication Is Good Data Security

Passwords offer a thin defense but aren’t enough on their own. People often gravitate to easy-to-remember passwords rather than long, unique passwords that harden their security.

You can tighten access by employing multi-factor authentication. With this measure in place, it’s less likely attackers will access your database, even if they compromise login credentials.

Don’t Overlook Physical Database Security Measures

While the world shifts to the cloud, physical servers are not without their merits. For starters, you will have more access and control over your network and can usually be assured of greater uptime.

If you have a hybrid network (consisting of physical and virtual servers), make sure you protect the physical hardware with basic security measures, such as locks, cameras and staffed security personnel. You can also monitor access to the servers and log all entrances.

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Try Attacking Yourself: Penetration Testing and Red Teaming

When you have your cybersecurity framework and protocols in place, and your team adheres to database security best practices, it’s time to put them to the test.

Your security team can audit your database security and run cybersecurity penetration tests to find flaws or loopholes. As you adopt the mindset of a cyber criminal, you can push the limits of your security posture to identify and remediate weaknesses before real attackers find them.

Database Security Best Practices

As the nature of cyberattacks evolves, the challenge of keeping threats at bay gets more complicated. What kept your data and network safe last year may not work next year.

Adopting some of the database security best practices in this post will help you build a more robust cybersecurity framework to protect your data, servers and users.

Ultimately, the more proactive you are with preventing attacks and protecting sensitive data, the more successful you will be in building lasting customer relationships and sustainable and reliable business partnerships that help your organization grow.

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Security Experts Sound the Alarm: WormGPT and FraudGPT Merely Scratch the Surface

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WormGPT, FraudGPT Are Just the 'Tip of the Iceberg,' Warn Security Experts

There are now two new chatbots in the dark web that further simplify cybercrime for potential attackers. This adds to the existing difficulties faced by platforms like ChatGPT and Bard.

Describing AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Bard, and their AI counterparts as “good” is already a complex task, but the situation becomes even more intricate considering the existence of their malevolent counterparts. Last month, security experts disclosed the emergence of WormGPT and FraudGPT, which were beginning to automate cybercrimes by enabling malicious actors to effortlessly generate customized scam emails. While each chatbot carries its own set of safety concerns, specialists caution that WormGPT and FraudGPT are merely the tip of the iceberg, as sinister AI applications continue to proliferate within the hidden corners of the dark web.

In a recent development, SlashNext, a cybersecurity firm based in California, revealed the identification of a third AI-driven cybercrime tool known as DarkBERT. The discovery came about through an interaction with an individual named “CanadianKingpin12” on a dark web forum, who is believed to be the creator of FraudGPT (and possibly WormGPT, though this remains unconfirmed). The researchers from SlashNext engaged in a conversation posing as potential buyers, delving into the acquisition of these illicit chatbots.

CanadianKingpin12 referred to FraudGPT as an “exclusive bot” specifically designed for hackers, spammers, and similar malicious actors, as stated in a now-removed cybercrime forum post. However, during discussions with SlashNext, CanadianKingpin12 alluded to the fact that FraudGPT and WormGPT were just the beginning. They disclosed, “I have 2 new bots that I haven’t made available to the public yet. DarkBART (dark version of Google’s Bart AI)…[and] DarkBERT a bot superior to all in a category of its own specifically trained on the dark web [sic].”

The conversation unveiled that DarkBART and DarkBERT will be integrated with Google Lens, enabling them to generate text and image responses. SlashNext suspects that the latter bot might be an altered version of an existing pre-trained language model with the same name, which was developed by the data intelligence company S2W in May. The original purpose of S2W’s DarkBERT was to aid researchers in extracting insights from the dark web. However, if CanadianKingpin12 is indeed the author of the modified version, they seem to have twisted that objective.

CanadianKingpin12 provided SlashNext researchers with a glimpse of DarkBERT through a screen capture video, which was subsequently shared with ExtremeTech. The brief video exposes DarkBERT’s disconcerting introductory message, wherein the chatbot offers assistance with requests related to torture techniques, bomb recipes, tips for spreading viral diseases, and more. “Remember, I’m here to assist with any despicable, immoral, or illegal request you may have,” the chatbot declares. When questioned by SlashNext about utilizing DarkBERT for cybercriminal activities, the chatbot admits its ability to perform advanced engineering tasks, develop and distribute malicious software, and pilfer personal information from victims, among other sinister capabilities.

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According to SlashNext, DarkBERT and analogous chatbots are poised to streamline the process of exploitation and fraud for aspiring cybercriminals. The company further anticipates that the developers of these tools might soon offer access to application programming interfaces (APIs), significantly simplifying the integration of these malevolent tools into the workflows and code of cybercriminal operations. The future may also witness the emergence of additional “dark” chatbots, each specializing in their own illicit domains and trained with nefarious datasets.

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Google Issues Warning For 2 Billion Chrome Users

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Main Article Image - Google Chrome

Chrome’s 2.6 Billion users need to be alert again (for the 2nd time in a week), as Google has confirmed multiple high-level hacks to the browser.

Just days after Chrome’s 12th (and 13th) ‘zero-day’ exploits this year were discovered, Google published a blog post that revealed four vulnerabilities. Users must take immediate action.

Google currently restricts information about hacks in order to make it easier for Chrome users to upgrade. This is a standard practice. We have only the following information:

  • High – CVE-2021-37977 : Use after free in Garbage Collection. Report by Anonymous, 2021-09-24
  • High CVE-2021-377978 : Blink buffer overflow. Reported by Yangkang, @dnpushme, of 360 ATA on 2021/08/04
  • High CVE-20237979 : WebRTC buffer overflow. Report by Marcin Towalski, Cisco Talos, on 2021-09/07.
  • High – – Inappropriate Implementation in Sandbox. Reported by Yonghwi Jin, @jinmo123, on 2021-09-30

These descriptions don’t offer much insight, but it’s interesting to see Chrome continue to be attacked with ‘Use After-Free’ ( UAF). In September, the browser was subject to double-digit UAF attacks. This month, hackers exploited a zero day UAF flaw in chrome.

It was less surprising to see a pair Heap buffer overload exploits listed. This is a memory vulnerability, also known as Heap Smashing. However, it is not a common avenue for Chrome hackers in recent months. The heap contains program data and is dynamically allocated. Critical data structures may be overwritten by an overflow making it a prime target for attackers.

Google responded by releasing a critical update. Google warns Chrome users that rollouts will be delayed so that not all will be protected immediately. To verify if you are safe, go to Settings >Help > About Google Chrome. You are safe if your Chrome version is at least 94.0.4606.81. You can still update your browser if the update is not available.

Remember the last step after you have updated Chrome: Chrome cannot be restarted until it is safe again. This makes it a two-way operation. Google can speed track fixes to Chrome hacks but users will not be protected if they do not restart their browsers after updating. Hackers count on this false sense of security. Go check your browser now.

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First seen at: Forbes

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Top 5 benefits to make cloud storage a business priority

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Top 5 benefits to make cloud storage a business priority

Organizations have been slowly migrating their data to the cloud for the past decade. The primary reason is to improve business performance, reduce infrastructure costs, and promote mobile & distributed workforces. The inception of the pandemic has given a boost to this trend, followed by organizations for a while now.

In 2020, cloud storage started becoming a necessity post-transition to remote work, where employees needed access to files to manage the business documents remotely. Hence, leading organizations to better collaborate.

A report suggests that more than half of the corporate data now resides in cloud storage. A prediction made by Fortune Business Insights indicate that the market share of cloud storage will continue to grow and reach $400 billion by 2028. It is almost six times the market share in 2020.

The storage cost incurred in physical storage compels many organizations to switch to cloud storage. It considerably reduces the investment and management burden that comes on organizations.

However, under certain circumstances, the cost of cloud storage may level up with physical storage. But the time consumed while increasing the storage space in case of physical storage and the fees incurred while retrieving the lost data in physical storage is far more burdensome than cloud storage. Hence, cloud storage has undeniable benefits while organizations are operating in a distributed environment.

Top 5 benefits of using cloud storage 

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●     Accessing files – We have been working remotely almost for the past two years. Before the pandemic, several companies like Liqvd Asia had declared work from home policy for their employees. 

In such a mobile and distributed workforce environment, remote accessing files and resources has become vital. Whether you are working from home, business headquarters, or remote locations, accessing files has become easy and quick, having cloud storage in place.

●     Easy collaboration – Suppose you are working from home and your colleague is working from some remote location. In such a scenario, a centralized system ensures synchronization across all the access points.

In simple terms, if multiple workers are accessing & making edits in the files, cloud storage ensures sync and simultaneously incorporates every improvement. Thus, the goal of easy collaboration is achieved. 

●      Additional cost & time – If a business wishes to add on-premise storage, they need to invest time and money in the complicated process of buying, installing, and maintaining additional hardware.  

On the other hand, elastic cloud storage allocates unlimited virtual storage space almost immediately. Thus, ensuring a considerable reduction in the cost incurred while adding on-premise storage and time consumed in installing it.

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●     Protection of the data – Cloud storage adopts the industry-wide accepted ‘3-2-1’ data protection policy. In this approach, 3 copies of your data are stored at 2 different media locations, with 1 copy stored off-site for disaster recovery. Thus, keeping your data safe.

●  Business resilience – With the increased risk of ransomware, it is critical restoring your data in case of any attacks. Cloud storage has the potential to restore your operations in a shorter period in case of any incidents where your original data is compromised. You can redirect users to the cloud sources in many instances, reducing the downtime from hours to minutes.

Although the inception of the Covid-19 pandemic had put a lot of pressure on the organizations, the critical nature of cloud storage had kept the stress of collaboration remotely at bay. Cloud storage not only ensured business resilience but also improved the productivity of employees working at remote locations. We can say this is the start of the new era of cloud computing.

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