DOAG Oracle Database Vault

This morning I had the opportunity to give a presentation on Oracle Database Vault at the DOAG conference.

Abstract

Oracle Database Vault has been on the market for a few years now. The product has been constantly improved over the years. But where is it worthwhile to use it? Which security measures can be implemented with it? And from whom does DB Vault protect me at all? In this presentation, the technical possibilities of Database Vault 19c / 21c will be explained in addition to the experiences from two customer projects. We will try to show where the use of Database Vault is worthwhile under certain circumstances and under which conditions it is not. This also includes whether protection against snakes and thieves is ensured.

PS: I asked my children what kind of presentation I should submit. The answers were snakes, thieves and cheetahs…

Sketch of a classified Oracle Database with Database Vault and Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)

Questions

Question: Is Oracle Database Vault a separate product?

Answer: Yes it is an option for Oracle Database Enterprise Edition. Beside the Oracle Database Vault Option it is required to have a valid Oracle Database Enterprise Edition license.

Question: What is a REALM

Answer: A REALM is a grouping of database schemas, database objects, and database roles that must be secured for a given application. A REALM is some kind of a security zone for DB objects. User who are owner or participant of the REALM can also access the objects within a REALM. RULE and RULE SET are used to authorise user for REALMS. See also About Realms in Oracle® Database Vault Administrator’s Guide 21c.

Sketch of a Database Vault configuration with three REALMS

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask them via comment on this blog post. Alternatively, you can also contact me directly.

Slides to my Lecture

Links and References