As the series of data breach incidents persist in the cybersecurity industry, database security has been recognized more. Even as of now, sensitive user data are still available all over the web. It seems like that the Firebase administrators are failing to abide by the protocols despite warnings and notifications to secure vital databases with passwords. Firebase is an application development software that allows developers to create many apps for Android and iOS. It offers tools for tracking analytics, fixing app crashes, and more.
As per research held last July, over 19,300 Firebase databases out of 180,300 have been exposed online without any form of authentication.
This data is about 10.7% of the total Firebase databases that have been exposed because of misconfigurations.
The extent of the impact
Because of the misconfiguration issues and security lapses, the degree of the impact may affect a wide range of many lifestyles, gaming, mail, workout, and food delivery applications into being at high risk of a public data breach. These exposed data may include several identifiable information of users, including their names, location, passwords, addresses, and more.
A researcher from Avast said that these exposed databases are an open opportunity of a breach just waiting to happen and are crucial to affected people, organizations, businesses, and with legal risks the moment that it happens.
A broader view of the issue
Ever since, digital applications have been practical and convenient in establishing connections and relationships among businesses and organizations such as charities, gyms, retailers, postal services, deliveries, and more. But then again, all of these apps can also be a source of financial damages and reputational reparations if the security and privacy of consumers are not taken into attention.
Advises and actions to consider
It is possible to entirely avoid the misconfiguration of databases. Developers must always stay aware of any potential risk that misconfigured databases can inflict and must always abide by the best protocols and practices in implementing database security. Some suggested measures in securing databases for Firebase include admin access restrictions, encrypted formats in password storing, and executing strict security protocols in databases.
