Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for the Reviewer workspace in Oracle
You can take several precautions to help secure the database, such as designing a secure system, encrypting confidential assets, and building a firewall around the database servers. However, in a scenario where the physical media (such as drives or backup tapes) are stolen, a malicious party can restore or attach the database and browse the data. One solution is to encrypt the sensitive data in the database and protect the keys used to encrypt the data with a certificate. This prevents anyone without the keys from using the data, but this kind of protection must be planned in advance.
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) enables you to encrypt sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, stored in tables and tablespaces. Encrypted data is transparently decrypted for a database user or application that has access to data. TDE helps protect data stored on media in the event that the storage media or data file is stolen. Oracle uses authentication, authorization, and auditing mechanisms to secure data in the database but not in the operating system data files where data is stored. To protect these data files, Oracle provides TDE. TDE encrypts sensitive data stored in data files. To prevent unauthorized decryption, TDE stores the encryption keys in a security module external to the database.
With Oracle, new tablespaces can be defined as encrypted. Defining a tablespace as encrypted means the physical data files created on the operating system will be encrypted. Any tables, indexes, and other objects defined in the new tablespace will be encrypted by default with no additional storage space requirements. Data is automatically encrypted when it is written to disk and automatically decrypted when accessed by the application.
Benefits of using TDE:
- As a security administrator, you can be sure that sensitive data is safe in case the storage media or data file is stolen.
- Implementing TDE helps you address security-related regulatory compliance issues.
- You do not need to create triggers or views to decrypt data for the authorized user or application. Data from tables is transparently decrypted for the database user and application.
- Database users and applications need not be aware that the data they are accessing is stored in encrypted form. Data is transparently decrypted for the database users and applications.
- Applications need not be modified to handle encrypted data. Data encryption and decryption are managed by the database.
- Key management operations are automated. The user or application does not need to manage encryption keys.
See Oracle documentation for more information on configuring TDE tablespace encryption.
To use TDE, follow one of these methods.
Configuring TDE Oracle Enterprise Manager
The following steps show how to configure TDE using Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM).
Copying and pasting the examples may cause syntax errors.
- Create the wallet folder.
mkdir C:\oracle\admin\wallets OEM > login as sys / sysdba OEM > Server > Transparent Data Encryption Advanced Options > Change Location Host Credentials Username: <DOMAIN>\dbs_ora Password: xxxxxxx Configuration Method: File System Encryption Wallet Directory: C:\oracle\admin\wallets OK Create Wallet > Local Auto-Open Wallet > Create Host Credentials Username: <DOMAIN>\dbs_ora Password: xxxxxxx Wallet Password: walletadmin Continue
- Back up the wallet folder.
cd C:\oracle\admin zip -r wallets wallets
Configure TDE manually
The following steps show how to manually configure TDE.
Copying and pasting the examples may cause syntax errors.
- From the command window, create the wallet folder.
mkdir C:\oracle\admin\wallets
- Add the wallet location to the sqlnet.ora file.
ENCRYPTION_WALLET_LOCATION = (SOURCE = (METHOD = FILE) (METHOD_DATA = (DIRECTORY = C:\oracle\admin\wallets\$ORACLE_SID)
Remarque :The default encryption wallet location is $ORACLE_BASE/admin/<global_db_name>/wallet. If you want to allow Oracle to manage a wallet in the default location, there is no need to set the ENCRYPTION_WALLET_LOCATION parameter in the sqlnet.ora file.
- Using Oracle SQL Plus or Oracle SQL Developer, generate a master key.
alter system set encryption key identified by "walletadmin";
- Using Oracle SQL Plus or Oracle SQL Developer, verify the status of the wallet.
select * from "v$encryption_wallet";
- Set the wallet to auto login.
set ORACLE_SID=revdb orapki wallet create -wallet C:\oracle\admin\wallets -auto_login -pwd walletadmin
- From the command window, back up the wallet folder.
cd C:\oracle\admin zip -r wallets wallets