Database security (encryption, access control, injection prevention), data governance (lineage, quality, MDM), and compliance frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA)
Scanned 9/5/2026
Install to Claude Code
npx -y skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-security-and-governance --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
Are you the author of Nw Security And Governance?
Add the live security badge to your README — it updates automatically with every re-scan.
[](https://www.skillsdirectory.com/skills/nwave-ai-nw-security-and-governance-nwave)More formats (shields.io, HTML) on the badges page.
---
name: nw-security-and-governance
description: Database security (encryption, access control, injection prevention), data governance (lineage, quality, MDM), and compliance frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA)
user-invocable: false
disable-model-invocation: true
---
# Security and Governance
## Defense-in-Depth Security Model
Layered security, each layer provides independent protection:
1. **Encryption at rest** (TDE) — protects against physical media theft
2. **Encryption in transit** (TLS/SSL) — protects against network interception
3. **Access control** (RBAC/ABAC) — enforces least privilege
4. **SQL injection prevention** — protects against application-layer attacks
5. **Audit logging** — accountability and forensic capability
## Encryption at Rest (TDE)
Encrypts DB files on disk without application changes. Encrypts data pages before writing, decrypts on read into memory. AES 128/256-bit symmetric encryption. Transparent to applications.
### Key Hierarchy (SQL Server)
1. Service Master Key (Windows DPAPI) -> 2. Database Master Key -> 3. Certificate -> 4. Database Encryption Key (DEK)
### Implementation
```sql
-- SQL Server TDE (key hierarchy: Service Master Key -> DB Master Key -> Certificate -> DEK)
CREATE DATABASE ENCRYPTION KEY WITH ALGORITHM = AES_256
ENCRYPTION BY SERVER CERTIFICATE TDE_Cert;
ALTER DATABASE [YourDB] SET ENCRYPTION ON;
-- PostgreSQL: pgcrypto for column-level, full TDE in v17+ | Oracle: ALTER SYSTEM SET ENCRYPTION KEY
```
### Best Practices
- Back up certificates/keys immediately — loss means unrecoverable data
- Store backups in separate secure location | Implement key rotation policy
- Use customer-managed keys (BYOK) for regulatory compliance
- Monitor performance impact (typically 3-5% overhead)
- TDE does not protect data in memory — use column-level encryption for highly sensitive fields
## Encryption in Transit (TLS)
### Configuration Checklist
- [ ] TLS 1.2+ enforced (disable 1.0/1.1)
- [ ] Valid certificates from trusted CA (not self-signed in prod)
- [ ] Certificate rotation policy established
- [ ] Client cert auth for server-to-server connections
- [ ] Connection string enforces SSL (`sslmode=require` in PostgreSQL)
## Access Control
### RBAC (Role-Based)
Assign permissions to roles, roles to users. Standard in all major DBs.
```sql
-- PostgreSQL RBAC: create roles with specific grants, assign to users
CREATE ROLE app_readonly; GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA public TO app_readonly;
CREATE ROLE app_readwrite; GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA public TO app_readwrite;
GRANT app_readonly TO reporting_user; GRANT app_readwrite TO application_user;
```
### ABAC (Attribute-Based)
Access decisions based on attributes of user, resource, environment. More flexible than RBAC for complex scenarios (multi-tenant, data classification).
### Least Privilege
- Application accounts: DML only (SELECT/INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE)
- Migration accounts: DDL + DML, time-limited
- Admin accounts: full access, MFA required, audit logged
- Reporting accounts: SELECT only on specific schemas/views
## SQL Injection Prevention (OWASP)
### Parameterized Queries (Primary Defense)
```python
# VULNERABLE - string concatenation (SQL injection risk)
query = f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE name = '{user_input}'"
# SAFE - parameterized (all languages: Python %s, Java ?, C# @param, Node.js $1)
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = %s AND status = %s", (user_id, 'active'))
```
### Additional Defenses (OWASP)
Input validation: whitelist allowed chars/formats | Stored procedures: reduce direct SQL exposure | Least privilege: no DDL for app accounts | WAF rules | Never expose DB error messages to end users
## Data Governance
### Data Lineage
Track data from source through transformations to consumption:
- **Technical lineage**: Column-level mapping through ETL/ELT pipelines
- **Business lineage**: Business meaning and ownership
- **Tools**: Apache Atlas, OpenLineage, Marquez, dbt lineage, AWS Glue, Azure Purview
Purpose: Regulatory compliance (GDPR Article 30) | Impact analysis (downstream schema change effects) | Root cause analysis (bad data origin) | Audit trails
### Data Quality Dimensions
| Dimension | Definition | Example Check |
|-----------|-----------|---------------|
| Accuracy | Correctly represents real-world entities | Email format validation |
| Completeness | Required fields populated | NOT NULL checks, completeness % |
| Consistency | Same data across systems agrees | Cross-system reconciliation |
| Timeliness | Current and available when needed | Freshness SLAs |
| Uniqueness | No unintended duplicates | Duplicate detection on business keys |
| Validity | Conforms to defined rules/formats | Range checks, enum validation |
### Master Data Management (MDM)
Establish single source of truth for core entities (customer, product, location) | Define golden record resolution rules | Implement data stewardship roles | Use MDM platform or reference data services
## Compliance Frameworks
### GDPR (EU)
- **Right to erasure** (Art. 17): Hard-delete capability including backups/replicas
- **Data portability** (Art. 20): Export in machine-readable format (JSON, CSV)
- **Consent management**: Track per processing purpose with timestamps
- **Data minimization**: Collect/retain only necessary personal data
- **Privacy by design**: Pseudonymization, encryption, access controls from initial design
- **Breach notification**: 72-hour requirement, implement detection/alerting
### CCPA (California)
Right to know (disclose collected data) | Right to delete | Right to opt-out of data sale | Non-discrimination regardless of privacy choices
### HIPAA (Health Data)
PHI encryption at rest and in transit | Role-based access with minimum necessary standard | Audit all PHI access | Business associate agreements for third-party processors
### Implementation Checklist
- [ ] Data classification schema (public, internal, confidential, restricted)
- [ ] Retention policies per classification
- [ ] Deletion procedures (including backups, replicas, caches)
- [ ] Consent tracking mechanism
- [ ] Audit logging for sensitive data access
- [ ] Data processing records (GDPR Art. 30)
- [ ] Breach response procedure documented and tested
- [ ] Privacy impact assessment for new processing activities
## Backup and Recovery
### 3-2-1 Rule
3 copies of data | 2 different storage types | 1 copy offsite
### Backup Types
- **Full**: Complete DB copy, baseline for recovery
- **Incremental**: Changed blocks since last backup, fast/small, recovery requires chain
- **Differential**: Changes since last full, faster recovery than incremental chain
- **Transaction log**: Enables point-in-time recovery (PITR)
### Recovery Validation
Test recovery regularly (monthly minimum) | Document RTO and RPO | Encrypt backup files | Store encryption keys separately from backups
Is this your skill, or is something wrong with this listing? Request removal or report an issue. Author removals are honored within 72 hours.
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!