Difference between Operating System and Database Security

Security within the operating system can be executed at various levels ranging from passwords for access to system, to the isolation of concurrent implementing processes with the system. Though, there are a few differences among security measures taken at operating system level as compared to those that of database system. These are:

•  Database system defends more objects, as the data is persistent in nature. Also database security is concerned with dissimilar levels of granularity such as tuple, file an attribute value or an index. Operating system security is primarily concerned with the use of resources and management.

• Database system objects can be difficult logical structures such as views, a number of which can map to the similar physical data objects. Moreover dissimilar architectural levels by internal, conceptual and external levels, have dissimilar security requirements. Therefore, database security is concerned with the semantics - meaning of data and also with its physical representation. Operating system can give security by not allowing any operation to be performed on the database unless the user is approved for the operation concerned.

Figure shows the architecture of a database security subsystem that can be found in any commercial DBMS.

                                                                                                         Figure: Database Security subsystem