As a backend developer working with millions of data regularly, you understand how sensitive data is and the implications of a data breach. Whether you are building a database from scratch using code with an SQL/NoSQL database or no-code development tools, your database is prone to attacks. You must ensure that sensitive data is secured from attackers.
This article will discuss data management and its security challenges and outline some of the best modern data management practices to keep your software data secure.
What is data management?
Data management refers to the practice of collecting, storing and managing data efficiently. It involves the complete lifecycle that tracks data from its creation till it is no longer required.
Data is a core asset of software, holding sensitive and valuable information. Over the last few decades, application infrastructure and database patterns have advanced significantly. A modern backend developer faces far more complex data management systems such as user information, access control, authentication, and integrity of data that you must keep safe from attackers as they are most vulnerable to attacks.
Let’s examine some of the common data security challenges in data management.
Data security challenges in data management
The reality of managing a software data system is the amount of sensitive data you have to work with. This data could contain personal information, identities, or credentials of users. As a result, this data is a common target for cyberattacks.
You are to ensure that your data is protected, prevent unauthorized access or modification to this data, and grant easy access to this data for users when requested.
These are some of the security challenges in data management. Let’s discuss these challenges and how we can fix them using the best modern practices.
Is my information safe?
When a website collects personal information from users, such as credit card credentials, location, identity, etc., users want to be assured that their information is safe and will not be breached someday. This assurance is what data management entails: confidentiality! Confidentiality is a core principle of data security.
Password changed?
Imagine a user tries to access their account, and the login credentials show, "You cannot log in; the password has changed." I would also dread this. The integrity of user data has been tampered with. Data integrity involves the protection of data from unauthorized modification or removal. Data integrity is also a principle of data security.
How soon can I get it?
Data management guarantees the availability of user data when requested. When the data is requested, availability requires that information systems function effectively and be accessible when needed. For example, your admin database must be available to access your financial records.
There are other challenges in data management. However, we will limit ourselves to these common challenges. Having looked into the challenges, let's dive into the best modern practices to address them.
Data security best practices
Here are some best practices for improving your software data security:
Use separate servers and storage.
Storing your data on the same server as your website exposes it to a variety of attacks specifically designed to target the database. Suppose you have an e-commerce store that stores both sensitive and non-sensitive data on a single server. You may probably be using a hosting service for your site. However, the security measures provided by this hosting service do not protect your sensitive data from attacks. Any attack on your site gives the attacker access to your sensitive data.
Most big cloud computing providers distribute your deployments geographically. You can operate an instance of your application on both the west and east coasts of the United States or another region. You may have numerous instances at the same location. The idea is that if one instance fails, another will be available to fulfill requests. Your service will still be connected even if a data center is unavailable. With this, the availability of your service is assured.
Modern databases like PostgresSQL and MongoDB have good support for server and storage separation.
Use database encryption protocols.
One of the best security measures for databases is encryption. Encrypting data guarantees that it is inaccessible to anybody who does not have access to the encryption key, whether it is at rest or in transit. For example, information stored in Google Cloud Storage is secured at rest. They allow you to provide the encryption keys to offer you more confidence and make it easier to convert encrypted data from other places to Cloud Storage. Take advantage of encryption if your cloud provider offers it. Encrypting data is critical not solely for keeping trade secrets safe but also for transferring and storing sensitive user data. You can also encrypt all connections to give an extra degree of protection to any piece of data you transfer.
Use a strong authentication system.
According to the latest study from Verizon, stolen passwords are responsible for 80% of data breaches. It demonstrates that passwords are not a sufficient security mechanism on their own. Imagine a data breach in your database due to a stolen password. This breach will result in a loss of confidentiality because users are not assured that their data is safe with you. The modern practice would be to adopt a system with several authentication processes. Your users can log in with Google if they prefer to manage their passwords using that method.
Better still, a multi-factor or two-factor authentication (2FA) into your system is a useful tool for protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access. You can use a combination of user authentication methods, such as biometrics, SMS/text messaging, emails, and security questions, for the most secure user sign-ins. Extra layers of protection, such as text verification, email verification, or time-based security codes, are also recommended.
Monitor database logs
Regularly checking your database for attempted breaches strengthens your security and helps you respond quickly to possible threats. Keep an eye on database activity and keep track of log activities. The actions that your users take on your server should be logged.
For example, where a modification has been made on Google Docs, the server records the modification and the person who made it. By monitoring the logs, you can tell if a document modification is by an authorized user. There are modern security solutions that automatically keep you up to date on logs. These security solutions use machine learning to respond to different threats and can be deployed as a service or through a Managed Service Provider (MSP) such as SIEM Software.
Create data backups.
Creating a data backup is one of the practices for data security. Backing up data has gained a lot of relevance in recent years. The goal of data backup is to have a secure copy in case the original data is lost or corrupted. You can reduce the risk of a data breach by making an exact copy of your data and storing it in a safe location that can only be accessed by authorized administrators.
Imagine a situation where your data is compromised by an attacker, accidentally erased by a user, or lost due to hardware failure. Only if the cloud-based data backup plan is implemented on time will we be able to restore data without losing a single piece of information.
One modern way to back up your data is by using cloud storage. A good cloud storage service, like Google Drive or Dropbox, has a file management system for easier access and strong encryption to keep your data safe from third parties.
Enable anti-virus and firewall protection.
Firewalls stand as a defense against data attacks. Attackers can gain access to your data through viruses, trojans, spyware, spam messages, etc. Your system will be able to defend itself against these attacks with the help of anti-virus software and firewalls. You must ensure that your firewall or software is up to date and that it detects and blocks cyber threats before they occur.
There are modern anti-virus and firewall software such as Norton, McAfee, NGFW, NAT firewalls, etc. Ensure that your firewall is regularly updated and prevents such cyber threats before they occur.
According to Statista, there have been over 18 million data breaches in 2022, and about 72 percent of these attackers are on the database, with an estimation of each data breach costing $3.38 million on average. In this regard, data security is an essential action you must take to protect the data of users from hackers to prevent financial losses. While building a modern backend system, you should consider these practices.
In addition, ensure you report failures to your users in time so they can take the necessary steps to better safeguard themselves. In addition to these, there are several other practices you can employ. Continue exploring new ways to make your systems more secure.
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