Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
managers don't need access to the content of the topic, since the functions that use the
amplified permissions will only gather metrics and not return any text within the topic.
Note that in this example, application-level security wouldn't work. If you used
application-level security, anyone who has access to the reporting tools would be able
to run queries on your confidential documents.
11.5.3
Benefits of the MarkLogic security model
The key benefit of the
RBAC
model combined with elevated security functions is that
access control can be driven from a consistent central control point and can't be cir-
cumvented by reporting tools. Element-level reports can still be executed on secure
collections for specialized tasks. This implementation allows flexibility with minimal
performance impact—something that's critical for large document collections.
MarkLogic has many customers in
US
federal systems and enterprise publishing.
These industries have stringent requirements for database security and auditing. As a
result, MarkLogic has one of the most robust, yet flexible, security models of any
NoSQL database.
The MarkLogic security model may seem complex at first. But once you under-
stand how roles drive security policy, you'll find you can keep documents secure and
still allow reporting tools full access to the database layer.
Experienced MarkLogic developers feel that the security model should be
designed at an early stage of a project to ensure that the correct access controls are
granted to the right users. Careful definition of roles within each project is required
to ensure that security policies are correctly enforced. Once the semantics of roles has
been clearly defined, implementing the policy is a straightforward process.
In addition to the
RBAC
security model supported by MarkLogic, there are also
specialized versions of MarkLogic that allow the creation of collections of highly sensi-
tive containers. These containers have additional security features that allow for the
storage and auditing of classified documents.
MarkLogic also integrates auditing reports with their security model. Auditors can
view reports every time elevated security functions are executed by a user or roles are
changed. A detailed history of every role change can be generated for each project.
These reports show how security policy has been enforced and which users had access
to collection content and when.
The
RBAC
security model isn't the only feature that MarkLogic has implemented
to meet the security demands of its customers. Other security-related features include
tamper-resistance of cryptography and network libraries, extensive auditing tools and
reports, and third-party auditing of security libraries. Each of these features becomes
more important as your NoSQL database is used by a larger community of security
conscious users.
11.6
Summary
In this chapter, you've learned that, for simple applications, NoSQL databases have
minimal security requirements. As the complexity of your applications increases, your
