Controlling Database Access

It has been said that one of the fastest growing crimes in America today is an act known as "identity theft." By obtaining the right information, an identity thief can borrow large amounts of money or make expensive purchases in someone else's name , leaving that individual in alarming financial shape. So, just where can this information, which should be closely guarded , be found? Chances are it has been collected and entered into some body's database. (Think about the paperwork you had to fill out the last time you started a new job, opened a new bank account, or bought a new car. More likely than not, the information you provided on that paperwork ”information that identifies who you are ”was transferred to a database for future use.)

Every database management system must be able to protect data against unauthorized access and/or modification. DB2 Universal Database uses a combination of external security services and internal access control mechanisms to perform this vital task. In most cases, three different levels of security are employed: The first level controls access to the instance a database was created under, the second controls access to the database itself, and the third controls access to the data and data objects that reside within the database.