Chapter 2. Securing the Network and Data in Transit
In this chapter we will cover the following topics:
Hijacking an Oracle connection
Using OAS network encryption for securing data in motion
Using OAS data integrity for securing data in motion
Using OAS SSL network encryption for securing data in motion
Encrypting network communication using IPSEC
Encrypting network communication with stunnel
Encrypting network communication with SSH tunneling
Restricting the fly listener administration using ADMIN_RESTRICTION_LISTENER parameter
Securing external program execution (EXTPROC)
Controlling the client connections using the TCP.VALIDNODE_CHECKING listener parameter
Introduction
As most of the applications that are using Oracle Databases are two or three tiered, communication over network is involved. The network and its components are probably the most vulnerable area due to the increased amount of exposure. Network communication layer attacks are usually one of the hardest to detect as the majority of them do not require a direct connection to the database server, but instead are targeted towards the network traffic and the data in flight. In the following chapter we will present some of the most widely used attack and defense techniques against the Oracle network components.