Database Security in the Cloud

Database Security in the Cloud

Abstract

The demand for Database as a Service (DaaS) cloud services is growing exponentially. One of the concerns of companies that are looking to invest in DaaS cloud services is the concern of the security of the data. The security concern is not limited to the data that is being stored in the databases, but also who and how the databases can be accessed. This research paper is going to touch on the current methods of securing online databases, as well as proposed security measures by professionals in the field of cloud database computing.

As the demand to store personal and business data on cloud services grows, so does the need to update the security structure and polices that govern it. The growing demand for cloud computing is due to the advantages that it can offer to users like: ubiquitous access, high reliability, resilience, scalability, and cost efficiency. With such a growing demand also come security and privacy risks such as: unauthorized access, sensitive data disclosure, intellectual property protection, communication threats and loads in transferring data, and data integrity. A research group consisting of Sarika Gupta, Sangita Rani Satapathy, Piyush Mehta, and Anupam Tripathy have proposed a system in which the data stored in the cloud would be completely controlled by the data user. This system would eliminate the need to trust the service provider with their sensitive data. The new system promises economic benefits by providing resources and applications as services to customers. The services that can be offered include: computing infrastructure, storage development and deployment platform, software services, and desktop services.

It was recognized that there was a need for the data owner to possess a security control that would also enable them to use a conventional keyword to search through an encrypted database. The proposed security requirements of the new system would enforce that only authorized...