Re: Encrypting database?

Michael,

On the break-in scenario:

Doing this at the database level would not be productive. This should be done at the driver hardware level (preferred) or at the very least at the operating system level.

See the "Loopback Encrypted Filesystem HOWTO" at http://encryptionhowto.sourceforge.net/ for one way you can achieve this in Linux.

On the row level scenario:

You would probably want to encrypt at the client level for this. The client knows the user, and hence can get the right password, and you don't really want paintext over TCP/IP: better to send the encrypted data to the client.

There are plenty of encryption algorithms out there with libraries to help you. I like Blowfish (http://www.counterpane.com/blowfish.html), but whatever you choose: THERE IS MORE TO SECURITY THAN CHOOSING AN ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM. You have to look at the WHOLE system.

Allan.

Michal Prinke wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Suppose I have some very important data stored in my PostgreSQL 7.1.2
> database. One day, someone breaks into my office and takes my hard disk away.
> The question is: are the data encrypted? Will the hacker be able to read
> anything without the administrator password, just by - for instance - browsing
> the filesystem or reading disk sectors?
>
> Going beyond the first problem... let's say I store some personal data in a
> table named CLIENTS. Are there any database-level mechanisms that support
> encrypting table rows independently? I mean in that way that even the DB
> administrator won't see the original data; yes, he would be able to modify it,
> even to erase it, but - as far as he does not have a specific user's password
> - he won't be able to see his data. ...?
>
> Of course, I can encrypt rows from the outside (e.g. in some PHP script), but
> I would love to have some database-level solution, preferably in PostgreSQL.
> Is there any?
>
> --- Thanks for any help!