Dynamic Data Masking

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What Does Dynamic Data Masking Mean?

Dynamic data masking (DDM) is a strategy for controlling or limiting unauthorized access to data, where data streams from a database or production environment are altered or "masked" as they are requested.

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Techopedia Explains Dynamic Data Masking

In general, dynamic data masking (DDM) is real-time data masking. It is often compared with another method for data masking, called static data masking, which involves setting up a separate shielded database or a "dummy database" including value-less data at load time.

Dynamic data masking provides solutions for the cases where individuals are working close to the production environment, but should not have access to the original data. For example, contractors and staffers may be trying to troubleshoot or update a production database. It is important that they do not have access to sensitive pieces of information such as individual health data, credit card numbers, etc. — with DDM, the information is jumbled or otherwise altered so that these technicians are working with harmless data as they manipulate a database. A number of DDM systems are "policy driven" — that is, they address existing security policies within an enterprise, by delivering more precise results that do not put sensitive data in jeopardy.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.