week 8

8.1 Database Security Threats

Database security aims to protect data against accidental or intentional disclosure to unauthorised persons, and data modification or destruction. Major threats include:

Threat	Description and Nigerian Example
Unauthorised Access	Users accessing data they have no permission to see. E.g., a bank teller accessing the CEO's salary record.
SQL Injection	Attackers injecting malicious SQL code through application inputs to manipulate the database. Caused major breaches at Nigerian financial institutions.
Insider Threat	Authorised employees misusing their access. E.g., a bank employee stealing customer BVN and account details.
Data Interception	Data stolen in transit between client and server. E.g., unencrypted bank transactions on public WiFi.
Privilege Escalation	Obtaining higher access rights than authorised. E.g., a regular user accessing DBA functions.
Denial of Service (DoS)	Overwhelming the database server to make it unavailable. E.g., the JAMB portal crash during registration.
Physical Theft	Stealing physical storage media containing database files.