What is Database Activity Monitoring (DAM)?

What is DAM Typically Used For?

Database Activity Monitoring is used for a range of purposes. Not only does it effectively monitor privileged user activities, but it also provides end-user accountability and fraud detection through its application activity monitoring capabilities. Additionally, DAM helps safeguard against cyber threats by detecting and preventing SQL injection attacks. DAM is also essential for regulatory compliance, meeting the requirements of various industry standards and regulations, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, NIST 800-53, and GDPR.

Limitations of Traditional DAM Solutions

Traditional Database Activity Monitoring tools are often plagued by limitations that hinder the ability to effectively investigate and respond to breach events. One of the primary issues is the lack of comprehensive activity logging, where many databases fail to capture or record any significant activity data, leaving forensic investigators with incomplete or unreliable information to work with. Additionally, the logging capabilities that are available with most database products are often inconsistent and lack credibility, making it difficult to establish a reliable timeline of events. This can be further complicated by the fact that logs can be truncated or deleted, potentially rendering it impossible to determine whether a breach even occurred, let alone identify the root cause or scope of the incident. 

Database Activity Monitoring Features

Below are the most notable DAM features:

• Automatic detection and categorization of various database types, including RDBMS, NoSQL, in-memory, distributed, and big data stores.
• Real-time monitoring and alerting for policy violations and suspicious activity.
• Enablement of informed decision-making through intelligent analytics and reporting.
• Secure storage and audit logging of database activity and audit logs outside of the monitored database.
• Enhancement of data privacy and governance.
• Improved visibility into application traffic and end-user accountability.
• Active discovery of at-risk data.

It’s also worth noting that most DAM software are agnostic to most IT infrastructure variables, making integration with existing systems easy.

The Importance of Cloud-Native DAM

Traditional Database Activity Monitoring solutions are inadequate for modern cloud applications, which require a parallel architecture to decouple database infrastructure without compromising performance. To address this challenge, cloud-native DAM necessitates a “thin” interception layer that can operate with minimal impact on database response time and work seamlessly across various database protocols. Additionally, measuring database queries at the endpoint, in real-time, presents a significant hurdle in modern cloud computing, where performance and latency are critical factors. 

Database Activity Monitoring Techniques

Database activity monitoring enables administrators to track a range of key attributes that provide valuable insights into database performance and activity. These include:

• CPU utilization, which measures the percentage of CPU resources devoted to database processing;
• Memory utilization, which monitors the amount of memory used by the database;
• Connection statistics, which provides information about the number and type of active database connections;
• Buffer cache details, which tracks the amount of data stored in the buffer cache;
• Query performance, which measures the speed and efficiency of database queries;
• Resource pools, which monitors the allocation and utilization of database resources;
• User sessions, which tracks user activity and session state;
• Deadlock details, which detects and reports on instances of deadlocking;
• System and user errors, which provides information about errors and exceptions occurring within the database.

Common DAM Architectures

There are several common architectures used to implement a Database Activity Monitoring (DAM) system, each with its own unique approach to monitoring and analyzing database activity. One approach is to use interception-based architecture, where the DAM system intercepts database communications at multiple points, such as the network, operating system, or database libraries, to collect and analyze SQL statements. Another approach is to use memory-based architecture, where a lightweight sensor is attached to the protected database and polls the system global area (SGA) to collect SQL statements. Additionally, log-based architecture is also used, where transaction logs, such as redo logs, are analyzed and extracted to identify and monitor database activity. 

How Lepide Helps

The Lepide Data Security Platform is an advanced solution that helps organizations monitor and secure their databases, providing robust Database Activity Monitoring (DAM) capabilities. Here are some ways the Lepide Data Security Platform helps with DAM:

• Real-time monitoring: The platform provides real-time monitoring of database activity, allowing you to detect and respond to potential security threats as they occur.
• Alerts and notifications: The platform generates alerts and notifications when suspicious or unauthorized activity is detected, enabling you to take prompt action to mitigate the risk.
• Data exfiltration detection: The platform can detect and alert on data exfiltration attempts, helping to prevent unauthorized data breaches.
• User and privilege auditing: The platform provides detailed logs and reports on user and privilege activity, making it easier to identify and manage access to sensitive data.
• Audit and compliance: The platform helps to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS, by providing detailed reports and audit trails.
• Integration with security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: The platform can integrate with SIEM systems, providing a comprehensive view of security events across the entire enterprise.
• Threshold alerting: The platform allows you to detect and respond to database activity that matched a pre-defined threshold condition.