Exploring databases and database structures
As discussed earlier in this chapter, one of the most attractive targets for an attacker is the database. Databases by their very nature contain information important to the organization and depending on which database the attacker connects to, they might find things such as log information, the personal information of employees, or client data. In this sense, databases can be considered one of the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, for attackers. An attacker who can locate and get data from a database could use it to extort the company, sell the information to other interested parties, and use it themselves for things such as identity fraud or wire transfer fraud.
Let’s take a deeper look into database types and their structures in this section. A database in its simplest form is a data structure for storing information for reading, writing, and modification. However, there are many types of databases, including the following:
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