Ocient Security Guide
This security guide is intended to assist organizations in hardening Software as a Service (SaaS) or customer-deployed Ocient® Systems. OcientCloud® and Ocient Management Services include Ocient support personnel configuring these settings based on organizational requirements and the applicable service agreement. Implement these security features and measures to protect an Ocient System and ensure data privacy.
This guide is not exhaustive and represents a security baseline for an Ocient System. Depending on your environment architecture and services, not all security features and measures might apply.
Authentication and Access Control
This section applies to the database application of the Ocient System. You can install the database application on a standard Linux® operating system (OS) distribution and apply authentication and access controls to the application host.
Identity Provider or Single Sign-On (SSO)
You can configure the Ocient Hyperscale Data Warehouse™ (OHDW) to use any OpenID Connect (OIDC) identity provider (such as OKTA®) for SSO. For details, see Authentication Methods.
Due to the potential sensitive data access provided through the OHDW, use multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all accounts that access the OHDW.
Ocient recommends implementing an OIDC identity provider on the OHDW and utilizing MFA for authentication access. Any local accounts should be limited to emergency access to recover SSO issues.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) Groups
The OHDW includes default System and Database Roles. The system also allows database administrators to create access groups with specific tables or views. You can assign these access groups to database users to restrict access to data based on the data type or classification.
Ocient recommends assigning System and Database Roles based on the principles of least privilege, separation of duties, and need-to-know. Access groups with specific tables, rows, or views can further restrict access based on data security requirements.
For details, see Manage Users, Groups, and Roles.
Network Security
This section applies to the network segment that hosts the Ocient System.
Secure Bucket Access and Data Streaming
The OHDW supports data loading using the Apache® Kafka® stream, cloud bucket (e.g., Amazon® Web Services℠ (AWS℠) S3), or local file source. For details, see SOURCE Options.
Secure Bucket Access
If loading data from a cloud bucket like AWS S3, Google® Cloud™ GCP storage bucket, and so on, use network access controls, IP whitelisting, or data-in-transit encryption between the OHDW Loader Nodes and the cloud bucket. Only Loader Nodes need access to a data source.
Secure Data Streaming
The OHDW supports Kafka Source data streaming to Loader Nodes: source-configuration
Ocient recommends utilizing data-in-transit encryption between the Kafka data source and Loader Nodes.
Network Exposure and Firewall
OHDW hosts should remain in the same network segment. However, you must apply host and network-based firewalls.
Ocient recommends using deny-all allow-by-exception firewall policies on hosts and network infrastructure to secure OHDW environments.
OHDW hosts should not be publicly accessible but within organizational network boundaries and security (or communication service provider (CSP) network boundaries and security).
The OHDW uses these ports, protocols, and services externally and internally.
Communications External to the OHDW
Communications Internal to the OHDW
Data Security and Encryption
This section covers the data security and encryption of the database application. Apply the data security and encryption controls to the Linux OS host.
Data-at-Rest Encryption
The OHDW supports self-encryption drives (SED) that meet the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Opal standard or better.
Ocient recommends utilizing NVMe drives that support Opal or SED and implementing data-at-rest encryption. Encryption strength should be based on data and system sensitivity. For details, see Server Hardware Requirements and Data Drive Requirements.
Data-in-Transit Encryption
You can encrypt external connections using JDBC through transport layer security (TLS) or secure sockets layer (SSL). For details, see Secure Connections Using TLS.
Ocient recommends using at least TLS 1.2 for external connections to the OHDW.
System and Application Security
This section applies to both the Linux OS host and the database application.
Operating System Hardening
For operating systems supported by the OHDW, see Ocient System Requirements.
Ocient recommends the use of an industry-standard OS hardening baseline like the CIS Benchmarks™ or the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs).
Operating System Patching
You must frequently and consistently update hosts running the OHDW to remediate any existing vulnerabilities within the OS.
Ocient recommends performing periodic vulnerability assessments or scans and updating OS packages based on severity and timeframe.
Application Patching
Ocient tracks, monitors, and remediates vulnerabilities within the OHDW application and publishes updated software releases periodically.
Ocient recommends keeping your OHDW application updated to the most current version.
For details, see Ocient Software Upgrade.
Application and System Maintenance
Ocient recommends performing regular and periodic application and system maintenance to preserve system performance. For details about the OHDW maintenance activities, see Maintenance Overview.
Secrets and Key Management
This section applies to secrets and keys within the Ocient System and database application. The section does not include Linux OS host secrets and keys but should have appropriate authentication and access controls applied. For details, see Set Up Data Encryption.
SED Key
Ocient recommends using a Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) compliant key management platform to handle SED lock and unlock operations.
By default, during system installation, if the install detects Opal-compliant hardware, the install enables full disk encryption with the encryption key stored on the OS drive. For details, see Data Drive Requirements.
Auditing and Log Management
This section applies to auditing within the database application. The section does not include Linux OS host and infrastructure logs, but should have appropriate auditing controls applied.
Audit Management
The Ocient System stores security audit logs for the database application in the /var/log/ directory on the Linux OS host. You can see these files in that directory.
For details, see Log Monitoring.
SIEM or System Log Forwarding
Ocient recommends using a security information and event manager (SIEM) or system log (syslog) forwarder to ingest the rolehostd.log, query.json, and security.json audit log files located on the Linux OS host.
Privacy
This section covers privacy controls of the database application.
Database View Restrictions
Ocient recommends implementing database table views based on the sensitivity of the data loaded into the database application, organizational policies, and legal requirements. You can grant access to specific columns or rows to specific users and groups by using database table views. For details, see Views.
Redacted Queries
The Ocient System supports redacted SQL statements in the database. Redacted text appears as ***. For details about the privileges that control redaction, see Data Control Language (DCL) Statement Reference.
Data Subject Requests
Ocient recommends using these guides to respond to data subject requests related to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
Delete
To remove records from an Ocient System, see Remove Records from an Ocient System.
Update
To update or rectify records in the Ocient System, see INSERT INTO TABLE.
Related Links
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