With the constant news of data breaches, having a security plan in place is critical in protecting personal data. Today, let’s discuss the ins and outs of a successful Hadoop initiative, the open-source software of choice for companies looking to launch big data projects.
With all it’s advantages, Hadoop has a well-known disadvantage: it runs on non-secure mode by default, putting valuable data at risk. It’s only natural that organizations want to secure their deployments before going into production. For this, they should strictly control user access to nodes in a Hadoop cluster.
While some developers reduce security threats by incorporating Kerberos to authenticate users and services, this is not a final solution. Hadoop still runs on non-secure mode by default and Kerberos adds more challenges to the organization. The Kerberos environment needs a way to manage user access and Personal Data.
How to Secure a Hadoop Implementation
An efficient and practical method employed for securing Hadoop implementation includes using the existing Active Directory environment, which already gives authentication capabilities to Kerberos. This approach also allows businesses to leverage current skills and management processes to create user accounts. It also helps reduce costs and improve security by minimizing errors. Hadoop environments are also secured by using existing Active Directory accounts to log in.
Active Directory deployments are generally difficult to implement. Therefore, businesses need a unified identity management tool to make the connection and management of servers simple. Hadoop clusters connect to the existing Active Directory environment. The authentication from one node to another only entails adding new service accounts once the integration of cluster nodes is completed.
The Role of a Unified Identity Management Tool
Hadoop service account management can be automated by a unified identity management solution. Active Directory Kerberos capabilities are extended to Hadoop clusters, which in turn provide authentication for end users and admins. There is no need to define and associate new privileges, as the ones associated with Active Directory can be used in the Hadoop ecosystem. Users get the same privileges and limitations they have outside the Hadoop environment.
A unified identity management tool provides privilege management and auditing capabilities that can be extended across the entire organization—including the Hadoop environment and Personal Data. It handles access and privileges and also associates everything back to an individual Active Directory account. To comply with audit requirements, the solution also creates reports that state who did what across Hadoop clusters.
Ensuring and strengthening security is vital for big data implementations. It has to be done in a way that is effective, practical and reliable. By implementing an identity management solution that integrates with an organization’s existing Active Directory infrastructure, your company can meet the requirements needed, avoiding setting up a siloed infrastructure just for Hadoop.
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