SecureSphere extends database activity monitoring and audit with Universal Visibility Architecture

Imperva announced the SecureSphere Universal Visibility Architecture which monitors all database activity regardless of the method used to access the database. SecureSphere is the first network-based database security and compliance product capable of providing full visibility into local events initiated by privileged users and automated maintenance tasks using IPC (Inter Process Communication) mechanisms. Imperva tracks all avenues in and out of a database, including direct access to the host, without requiring any changes to scripts or work processes.

To secure sensitive business data and document controls for regulatory compliance, organizations must be able to monitor, audit, and control database access by authorized and privileged users, as well as programs running batch operations or stored procedures. SecureSphere addresses these requirements by providing comprehensive visibility into all database communications mechanisms, eliminating the ability of privileged users to modify audit settings, without impacting application performance.

SecureSphere provides unmatched coverage and policy enforcement across all major database access methods. To ensure that users cannot circumvent the usage auditing and control mechanisms, SecureSphere inspects and tracks in real-time all database communication mechanisms, including:

” Web and networked applications. SecureSphere can link transactions to responsible users even when the database is accessed using pooled login connections.
” Remote access, including encrypted traffic, over the network (e.g. telnet sessions).
” “Coded” access using stored procedures, prepared statements, and batch operations that run with super user privileges.
” Local access, including the ability to inspect IPC mechanisms such as Bequeath for Oracle, which is commonly used by database administrators and automated maintenance scripts.

In addition, SecureSphere performs deep inspection and validation of database protocols to ensure all activity, including attempts to bypass database protocol rules, is monitored and audited.