What makes using an Oracle Wallet to connect to a data source more secure than using a username and password to do the same

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What makes using an Oracle Wallet to connect to a data source more secure than using a username and password to do the same? If someone knows the connection string for using an Oracle Wallet to connect to a data source, isn't this just as good as having the username and password? If not, why not?

Best Answer

  • Wallets can be configured to only be valid from a specific client, so access to the specific host is also required, whereas username/password text can be easily ported elsewhere with copy/paste.
  • Using wallets also allows most applications to be redeployed between environments (like dev and prod) without requiring reconfiguration or changes to credentials.
  • Placing the credentials in an external store allows password management policies to be more easily enforced without changing application code whenever user names or passwords change.
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