Re: database encryption

Michael Fuhr wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 08, 2007 at 09:13:48AM +0100, Olivier Boissard wrote:
> > I was thinking about a system in which only the php programs will be
> > able to manage stored informations. In case of theft or unexpected
> > access to servers nobody could be able to retrieve the stored data
> > without the authorized key.
>
> What about theft or compromise of the server running the PHP code?
> In general it's a good idea to encrypt and decrypt as close to where
> the cleartext is needed to limit exposure, but you should also
> consider the vulnerability of the system that holds the key. For
> some applications it might make sense to use public-key encryption
> with the exposed (e.g., Internet-facing) server having only the
> public (encryption) key and a more protected backend server having
> the corresponding private (decryption) key.
>
> Without knowing the requirements and the threat model it's impossible
> to suggest a suitable solution. Can you be more specific about what
> you're trying to do?

We do have an encryption section in our documentation:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.2/static/encryption-options.html

--
Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> http://momjian.us
EnterpriseDB http://www.enterprisedb.com

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