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Require to perform data Masking on a dB table column which stores uniform length sensitive data. looking to encrypt the column in dB as well.(not hash, need a reversible encryption since the data may need to be retrieved in some exceptional cases)

I read some sources online and still a little bit confused.

From Microsoft:

"Dynamic data masking is complementary to other SQL Server security features (auditing, encryption, row level security...) and it is highly recommended to use this feature in conjunction with them in addition in order to better protect the sensitive data in the database"

https://stackoverflow.com/a/41769843/7435291

Need guidance on how both objectives can be achieved.

Note: Was looking to use Dynamic Data Masking due to the ease of setup and it being independent of the other code layer. However; not sure about the impact of encrypting the column

needtoflow
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  • It's a really broad question with little chance of a simple answer. For starters, you should have a clear picture of who is allowed to see the data and when. Is it OK if DB admins can always decrypt the data (so only client-side encryption is acceptable)? What about people who get hold of a backup of your entire server (data at rest)? Is your database multi-tenant, that is, do you have multiple customers each of which should only see their own data? Is the connection to the DB itself insecure, so you must always transmit the data encrypted? – Jeroen Mostert May 21 '19 at 10:52
  • Hello @JeroenMostert . We have a few types of users who are going to access the data from website. However; it is clear that only the masked data will be visible for all of them. The dB admin should be able to view the decrypted data; in some rare circumstances. The backups are received through the dB admin. The IT people who receive the backup should not be able to decrypt to the original data. We don't have the use case with multiple tenants in database. – needtoflow May 21 '19 at 14:17
  • Do any end users ever need access to (their own) encrypted data? In other words, does the website app need access to the decrypted data to enable that scenario? Where is the data originally coming from -- is the web app itself going to supply it (either encrypted or unencrypted)? – Jeroen Mostert May 21 '19 at 14:28
  • Hi again. The end user will get to see only masked version of data in the Website irrespective of permission. The data is originally coming from forms on the Website which are filled by authorised users. It needs to be stored in the back end encrypted and further displayed in masked format on the Website. – needtoflow May 21 '19 at 16:51

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