Securing Big Data Systems

Big Data is one of the buzzes in the cybersecurity space, both in terms of using Big Data solutions for improving overall IT security as well as securing Big Data implementations.  IT security needs to provide guidance to the applications teams that are implementing Big Data solutions so that these new applications are implemented with security built in from the beginning, rather than trying to bolt on security later.  Many Big Data products haven't had security on the top of their development list as the products rapidly evolve so it's up to users to make sure that these products gets implemented and used correctly.

What is IT security's role in Big Data solution implementation?  In the context of Big Data, the security teams's primary deliverables are (1) security guidance for the Big Data solution architecture and (2) direction for implementing existing security controls and tools into a new technology environment.  What the security team, particularly the security architecture function, needs to do is to use existing patterns and guidance as a baseline and generate draft guidance based on those patterns, on research, and on vendor input.  That guidance should be updated based on feedback from the functional teams and initial informal audits.  As your guidance cycles through the various teams, it will firm up and will eventually become concrete enough to add to your security standards.

The Cloud Security Alliance (www.cloudsecurityalliance.org) Big Data Working Group has does great baseline work related to Big Data and security.  If you're responsible for securing a Big Data implementation, reading their "Expanded Top Ten Big Data Security and Privacy Challenges" is a must.read.

Consider a generic Big Data solution ecosystem:

You can map your security concerns using the CSA taxonomy.  They map as:

When you apply these concerns to the generic ecosystem, you get something that looks like:

This mapping can give you a jumping off point for any security guidance document that you develop.  Apply your set of basic security practices (e.g. RBAC, centralized authentication, encryption, server standards, etc.) and categorize them according to ecosystem components and the CSA top ten and your guidance will have a pre-built skeleton that will be easy to flesh out for your specific tools and solution.