IT Baseline Protection Manual - The Information Warfare Site

Threats Catalogue Deliberate Acts Remarks
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T 2.40 Complexity of database access
A database management system (DBMS) is used to access one or more
databases. This access can take place directly or via an application. To ensure
the integrity of a database, all access to it must be controlled from a central
point of administration. The complexity of such access procedures can result
in the following problems:
Incorrectly designed user environment
- If access rights for database users are too restrictive, this might prevent
certain tasks from being accomplished.
- If access rights for users are too loosely defined, this might lead to the
unauthorised manipulation or browsing of data. This will also violate the
integrity and confidentiality of the database.
- If users are allowed to access a database directly (instead of via an
application), this might damage the integrity of the database through data
manipulations whose consequences cannot be foreseen by the users.
- If database objects are not protected explicitly by the accessing
applications through the use of an appropriate concept of authorisation and
access, this could result in the manipulation of such database objects (e.g. a
modification of table fields or indices). The database could be destroyed as
a result.
Remote access to databases
- If a database is made accessible within a network, inadequate security
safeguards for remote access procedures might allow the manipulation and
unauthorised browsing of data. This will also violate the integrity and
confidentiality of the database.
Database queries
- The total number of possible database queries must be restricted for each
user and certain queries must be prohibited explicitly. Otherwise the
confidentiality of sensitive data might be violated (particularly in the case
of statistical databases).
- If database queries from a certain application are not implemented in
accordance with the SQL standard, the DBMS might not be able to execute
and may therefore reject such queries (especially if database management
systems from different vendors are in use).
- Database queries which have not been specified precisely may supply
incorrect or unexpected results if the database objects have been modified.
Example: The query "SELECT * FROM table" returns all the
attributes/fields of a tupel/data record. If a field is now added to, or deleted
from this table, fatal consequences may arise for applications which make
use of this query.
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IT-Baseline Protection Manual: Oktober 2000