Pete Finnigan's Oracle Security Weblog

I found a great news article today about security in the form of "defence in depth". The article has been written by Jon Oltsik and is titled http://news.com.com/Finally,+a+sensible+security+scheme/2010-1071-5486352.html - (broken link) Finally, a sensible security scheme. This article doesn't tell me personally anything new in the details and ideas that it presents but it does bring together a very good combination of ideas and thinking on security. Its well written and can be understand by techies and non-techies alike. This is a great article for anyone who doesn't understand the issues of security in multi-tier / multi-level applications and particularly those that involve databases, particularly Oracle databases.

Jon talks about Visa (the credit card peoples) "defence in depth" approach to security detailed in their Cardholder Information Security Program (CISP) and gives the classic bank security approach as an example. He goes on to suggest that many organisations do not take security of their data seriously as he says they tend to employ security at the outer perimeters and then do not protect the servers or at best if they do then they do not protect applications and in particular the database and data.

Jon thinks that companies will see the light at the end of the security tunnel. As Jon says currently application security is like locking the doors but leaving the windows open. Leaving the data wide open to attack is an example of this thought. Jon feels that the trend will change because of organisations like Visa who have recognised the fact that the data needs to be as secure as the outer perimeter - "defence in depth" - This idea will be recognised by the more observant management - soon - I hope.

This is a great article that makes a great point about securing the corporate data and the fact that major groups like Visa recognise defence in depth - including the data - again its http://news.com.com/Finally,+a+sensible+security+scheme/2010-1071-5486352.html - (broken link) here.