Data breaches and exposures have been so rampant over the last few years that it's difficult to even keep track at this point, much less step back to mull a solution. But, perhaps out of necessity, researchers from the database giant MongoDB have spent the last two years developing a new database encryption scheme aimed squarely at reducing these damaging incidents. Their secret weapon? Radical simplicity.
The idea of encrypting databases in various ways isn't new. But in practice there have been limitations on where and when data was actually protected. Databases are often encrypted "server-side," meaning that random strangers can't just query it for information, but credentialed users can access some or all of the information in it. But that also means that anyone with full access to the data—like the database operator and administrators—can decrypt and access everything. This puts the data at risk to both outside hackers wielding stolen credentials, and rogue insiders who have been granted more access than they need.
Lily Hay Newman covers information security, digital privacy, and hacking for WIRED.
Other types of encryption schemes, though, typically add both complexity and cost, which is why it's taken so long for companies like MongoDB to offer something that's both usable and secure. And given that companies as large as Adobe and Google rely on MongoDB database architecture, it's a solution that could have outsized impact.
"One reason that no one did this before was because they didn’t perceive customer demand the way that it’s easy to perceive today," says Davi Ottenhei ..
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