Advanced Networking Option

Security — the protection of data — is one of the primary concerns of any business. This book focuses on how the standard features of Oracle can be used to control access within the database and thus improve the security position of your business.

But what happens outside of the database? Is the data safe on a network (LAN), an intranet, a MAN, a WAN, or the World Wide Web? Probably not. In the military security community, a popular and commonly told story concerns the detection of keystrokes from teletypes. Many years ago, an evaluation team went to a popular electronic parts store and, for only a few dollars, bought a handful of electronics components. When properly assembled, these components became a crude but effective receiver that could be tuned to the frequency radiated by the teletype keyboard. This was an excellent example of the interception of data as it was being entered — even before it had a chance to be encrypted. The story ends with the team visiting the “secure” facility with a full copy of the supposedly classified message that had been transmitted only moments earlier.

About Sniffers and Snoopers

A similar situation exists today. Data is not usually encrypted between the workstation and the database. Almost everyone has now heard of the terms sniffer and snooper. These terms pertain to hardware and software that can be located close to, but not necessarily physically attached to, the network. You could use sniffers or snoopers ...

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