SINGAPORE, 13 OCTOBER 2008 - Corporate data centres are likely to become the next big target for cyber-criminals due to the sensitive and valuable information they hold, according to Unified Threat Management (UTM) security systems provider Fortinet.
The global IT security firm says there is an increasing need for powerful tools that can detect and help guard against data breaches. This is especially critical for vertical industries such as retail, which require compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) to protect customers' personal and credit card information.
Fortinet made the prediction while launching their latest database vulnerability assessment appliance for data theft detection and Prevention.
They say the FortiDB-1000B VA appliance “provides an automated, cost-effective and centralized solution for database application security, with evaluation and remediation advice for common compliance requirements built in”.
Data has monetary value
"Much of the world's personal and proprietary electronic data is held in the databases of corporations and businesses, with most of it having an intrinsic monetary value in the criminal underworld," said IDC research director Charles Kolodgy.
"So, database security tools, like Fortinet's FortiDB-1000B appliance, are no longer optional,” Kolodgy said. “Instead, they are a necessary component to help protect personal information that organizations are obligated to secure."
Fortinet said that, by identifying weaknesses in databases that can be open for exploitation, the FortiDB appliance helped prevent the theft of proprietary and personal data by what might appear to be legitimate users. FortiDB works by identifying the weakness, alerting system administrators of potential threats, and offering remediation advice.
Mid enterprise product
The FortiDB-1000B appliance is a mid-enterprise product designed to ‘harden’ databases by detecting weaknesses in passwords, access privileges and configuration settings. It supports heterogeneous environments including Oracle, DB2, Sybase and SQL Server, with each appliance supporting up to 30 concurrent databases.
Fortinet said it is also planning low and high-end versions of the FortiDB product line later this year and in 2009, which will be able to support up to 110 and 60 databases, respectively. An enterprise software version is available today for large organizations running thousands of databases across multiple geographies and networks.
