Subject: Re: hide data from admins

From: Ron Johnson <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2025 22:03:50 -0400

On Tue, Mar 11, 2025 at 9:48 PM Siraj G <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Hello Experts!
>
> What are the features available in Postgresql to hide PII (personal
> identifiable information) from the Admin team? Like in Oracle we have data
> vault and data redaction, I am looking for similar features in
> PostgreSQL.We do not want to do code level changes.
>

Look at pgsodium.  However, "no code level changes" is code for at-rest
encryption.

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From: Jehan-Guillaume de Rorthais <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2025 19:37:14 +0100

Le Tue, 11 Mar 2025 22:03:50 -0400,

> Look at pgsodium.  However, "no code level changes" is code for at-rest

Unless I'm wrong, pgsodium will not protect you from Admin team. The "postgres"
role will always be able to read your keys or meta-data to derive them from the
master key if they are stored inside the database… and root might be able to
scan the memory to find the master key I suppose.

Storing the keys outisde the database means code level change.

Your best bet would be the Transparent Column Encryption patch, but it is
stalled for one year.

In last resort, I suppose selinux/sepgsql machinery can lock everything the way
you want, even without encryption…

good luck.