How do you ensure the security and integrity of synthetic full backup vs full backup?

This is were source-side deduplication and storage makes a huge difference over traditional full backups. The only way to ensure every file is protected is a full backup. We see more and more that hackers are changing files, but hacking the meta data in the file to "LOOK" like it hasn't changed. This fools an incremental or synthetic full backup to skip the files, and not see the attack is happening. Doing a full backup will see the physical file changes and then hopefully your backup software will alert to the attack vector.

This is very tune, and running an incremental forever is an approach almost every SW version provides today. But, pay attention the the restoration. With VMware for example some companies use CBT backups for the incrementation forever, but cannot restore the incremental. The restore must be a Full backup, and that could take days to get back on production storage.

Immutable copies are table stakes now for your storage targets. You should always have encryption at rest turned on, and the all backups cannot be deleted ever under the retention is exceeded. Having MFA or or having to call support to erase files is not good enough, as smart hackers can call support on your behalf.

Encrypt the backup data both during transit and at rest to protect it from unauthorized access. Use strong encryption algorithms and secure key management practices to safeguard the data. And limit access to the backup files and storage locations to authorized personnel only. Implement role-based access control and regularly review and update user permissions to prevent unauthorized access. The most important action is developing a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that includes procedures for restoring the backup data in case of data loss or security incidents. Test the backup and recovery processes regularly to ensure their effectiveness.

Full backups involve copying all data every time, which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. If you need to perform backups frequently, synthetic full backups may be more efficient as they only copy changed data since the last full backup. And full backups require more storage space as they copy all data each time. If storage space is a concern, synthetic full backups can help save space by only storing changed data. Moreover, full backups can put a strain on system resources during the backup process. Synthetic full backups distribute the backup load over time, reducing the impact on system resources.

Ultimately, the choice between synthetic full backup and full backup depends on your specific backup requirements, including time, resources, storage space, recovery time objectives, and data integrity considerations. It's recommended to evaluate these factors in the context of your backup strategy to determine the most suitable approach for your needs. For example, both full backups and synthetic full backups ensure data integrity by capturing a complete snapshot of the data at a specific point in time. However, synthetic full backups may introduce additional complexity in the backup process, which could potentially impact data integrity if not managed properly.