Firewalls: What a DBA Should Know
 

This 1 day course is intended for:

DB2 DBAs that currently have or are considering making databases accessible through the Internet. The course gives a general overview of Information Security principles and practices then explains how these can be used to enhance the security of databases exposed to the Internet or to other nonsecure channels. The course includes a list of resources important for staying up-to-date with  security issues.

Topics Covered:

• A broad look at Information Security
• An overview of the attackers and their methods
• TCP/IP fundamentals
• The role encryption plays in security
• The software and hardware commonly used to enhance security
• How to secure access to DB2 data over the Internet

Objectives:

At the end of the course, the students should be able to begin an evaluation of the security of their databases and suggest alternatives to improve that security

Duration: 1 day

Delivery: Class lecture

Audience: 

DB2 DBAs that currently have or are considering making databases accessible through the Internet or other non-secure channels.

Prerequisites:

A DBA-level working knowledge of DB2 on the platform that contains data exposed to the Internet.

Note:

This class is an overview. It covers a great amount of information in a single day.

Outline: 

1. A Broad Look at Information Security
   
   News from the Information Security front
   What is Information Security?
   What are the overall goals?
    
2. The Adversaries and Their Methods
   
   Who are the players?
   Hacker vs. Cracker
   Attack Vectors
    
3. TCP/IP Fundamentals
   
   A brief look at TCP/IP
   The packet layout
   IP host addressing
   Well-known ports
    
4. Encryption: Keeping It Private
   
   Symmetric-key encryption
   Public-key encryption
   Hybrid Cryptosystems
   Public Key Infrastructure
   Secure Sockets Layer
   Hashes
    
5. The Tools of the Trade
   
   Webservers
   Firewalls
   Intrusion Detection systems
   Network address Translation
   Virtual Private Networks
   Proxies
   Switches
   Sniffers
    
6. Securely Accessing DB2 in an Insecure World
   
   Where do I put my databases for maximum safety?
   Using Stored Procedures to limit the risk
   Guides to securing the code that accesses the database
   What data is safe to expose to the Internet? 
   Auditing and logging