Database grants are the permissions that define what a database user can do. They control access to actions such as reading rows, inserting or changing data, creating tables, altering schemas, or managing other users. In most systems, grants are the practical enforcement layer for least privilege: an application account should get only the permissions it needs, and nothing more.
In cyber security, grants matter because weak permission boundaries can turn a minor account compromise into full database control. Attackers often look for overbroad grants, reused admin accounts, or flaws that let a low-privilege user perform privileged database actions. In hosting platforms and control panels, a grant mistake can expose many customer databases at once. Defenders reduce risk by auditing grants regularly, separating application and administrative accounts, removing unused privileges, and monitoring for unexpected changes to roles, ownership, or access rights.