Oracle® 11g For Dummies®

Chapter 9. Protecting Your Oracle Data

In This Chapter

• Getting user authentication

• Exploring roles and privileges

• Employing VPD

• Auditing a database

• Encrypting the work

Security is real concern. Especially in anything relating to computers and the Internet. As administrators of software applications like the Oracle database, we are concerned with security because we want to protect our data. Sometimes it's because we don't want people looking at our data. Another reason is to protect the data from being altered or corrupted. Being able to restrict and monitor the users in the system will help us provide a safe and secure operating environment for us and our customers or clients.

Authentication

Authentication is all about making sure your users are who they say they are. This process begins well before users even try to access the database. You need to set up a system that allows you to verify identity. You need a method for users to access the system that both identifies and restricts their privileges to their described needs. Finally, a security mechanism such as a password or operating system account is recommended so access isn't open to anyone who tries.

User authentication

Once you set up your databases, the next step is to allow users access to the data. You may have all sorts of users in your environment, from people who need full access to the data and database (like a DBA) to an application that runs on a machine for users connecting from the Internet.

Note

User authentication, the ...