Configuring Database Applications

Table Of Contents

Configuring Database Applications

Oracle Database Server Generic

Configure the Oracle Database Server to Generate Audit Logs

Add the Oracle Database Server to MARS

Configure Interval for Pulling Oracle Event Logs

Configuring Database Applications

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Database applications are typically high-value assets, and as such, they are common targets for attacks. Database applications provide MARS with user activity, such as successful and failed login attempts, session durations, and activities indicative of privilege escalation.

This chapter explains how to bootstrap and add the following database applications to MARS:

•Oracle Database Server Generic

Oracle Database Server Generic

To configure CS-MARS to collect information from the Oracle database server, you must perform three tasks:

•configure the Oracle database server to generate a audit trail and record those events the database.

•represent the device in the web interface

•configure the interval at which CS-MARS should pull the logs from the Oracle database server.

Configuring the pull interval is a one-time operation that applies to all of the Oracle database servers monitored by the MARS Appliance.

This section contains the following topics:

•Configure the Oracle Database Server to Generate Audit Logs

•Add the Oracle Database Server to MARS

•Configure Interval for Pulling Oracle Event Logs

Configure the Oracle Database Server to Generate Audit Logs

You must configure the Oracle database server to write audit logs to the database. You may need your DBA support to perform most of these configurations. Once configured, MARS can retrieve the audit logs from your Oracle database server. The following examples are for an Oracle instance running on a UNIX/Linux application host.

To configure an Oracle database server to write audit logs, follow these steps:

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Step 1 As sysdba execute cataudit.sql to create audit trail views:

 	[oracle@server]$ sqlplus /nolog

	SQL> conn / as sysdba;

	SQL> @$ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/cataudit.sql

Step 2 Enable auditing to the database by adding the following entry to the Oracle instance initialization file, usually named init<SID>.ora

    AUDIT_TRAIL=DB

This file is usually located in $ORACLE_BASE/admin/<SID>/pfile, where <SID> is the name of the Oracle instance.

If a binary initialization file is used for this instance, make sure you update it first. This file is usually located in $ORACLE_HOME/dbs and named spfile<SID>.ora. Ask your DBA about the location of these files as well as the policies applied for this server.

Step 3 Restart the database to activate the change made to the initialization file.

 	[oracle@server]$ sqlplus /nolog

	SQL> conn / as sysdba;

	SQL> shutdown immediate;

	SQL> startup;

Step 4 Turn on all the logs that you want to audit. The following example is turning on the "audit session".

	SQL> audit session;

	Audit succeeded.

Step 5 Repeat the previous step for all the logs that you want to audit.

Step 6 Create a user account on this server and grant select privilege for the view dba_audit_trail. Our example assumes the user has login name "pnuser".

	 SQL> grant select on dba_audit_trail to pnuser

You'll use "pnuser" as the value for "User Name" in the MARS setup.

Step 7 To test that everything was properly configured, audit logs are written to the database and "pnuser" has read access to them, execute the following commands:

	 [oracle@server]$ sqlplus pnuser/<password>@<oracle_server>

	 SQL> select count(*) from dba_audit_trail;

  	COUNT(*)

	----------

         3

If the above count is anything but zero, congratulations, you have successfully configured the Oracle Server! You will have to repeat the above procedure for every Oracle server that you want to report audit logs to MARS.

Add the Oracle Database Server to MARS

To represent the Oracle database server in the web interface, follow these steps:

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Step 1 Click Admin > Security and Monitor Devices > Add.

Step 2 From the Device Type list, select Add SW Security apps on a new host or Add SW security apps on existing host.

Step 3 Enter the Device Name and IP addresses if adding a new host.

Step 4 Click Apply.

Step 5 From the Select Application list, select Oracle Database Server Generic.

Step 6 Click Add.

Step 7 Enter the User Name, Password and Oracle Service Name

•User Name - the Oracle Database User Name

•Password - the Oracle Database User password

•Oracle Service Name - the Oracle Service Name

The Oracle Service Name is the GLOBAL_DBNAME=username.server which can be found inside a file called listener.ora.

Step 8 Click Test Connectivity to verify the configuration.

Step 9 Click Submit.

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Configure Interval for Pulling Oracle Event Logs

To specify the interval at which MARS should pull the event logs from all Oracle database servers on your network, follow these steps:

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Step 1 Click Admin > System Parameters > Oracle Event Log Pulling Time Interval.

Step 2 Enter the new time interval in seconds. The default value is 300 (five minutes).

Step 3 Click Submit.

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