Threats from malicious software

Database users can easily and unknowingly download malicious or unauthorized software. This is a security threat that can come from not only server machines that host the databases, but also computers used to access the databases.

To protect the database server from malicious software:

• Keep the database server on a different computer from the clients that must connect to it
• Restrict access to the computer hosting the database server
• Monitor the software installed on the database server computers (for example, by running a checksum process periodically)
• Keep a record of all the files and permissions on the database server computer
• Institute a strict security policy
• Make all users aware of the dangers of starting software of unknown or untrusted origin

Malicious software can defeat security controls in many ways. For example, such software can copy data for subsequent access by an unauthorized user or grant database access privileges to an unauthorized user.