Schneier - MongoDB Offers Field Level Encryption

MongoDB now has the ability to encrypt data by field:

MongoDB calls the new feature Field Level Encryption. It works kind of like end-to-end encrypted messaging, which scrambles data as it moves across the internet, revealing it only to the sender and the recipient. In such a "client-side" encryption scheme, databases utilizing Field Level Encryption will not only require a system login, but will additionally require specific keys to process and decrypt specific chunks of data locally on a user's device as needed. That means MongoDB itself and cloud providers won't be able to access customer data, and a database's administrators or remote managers don't need to have access to everything either.

For regular users, not much will be visibly different. If their credentials are stolen and they aren't using multifactor authentication, an attacker will still be able to access everything the victim could. But the new feature is meant to eliminate single points of failure. With Field Level Encryption in place, a hacker who steals an administrative username and password, or finds a software vulnerability that gives them system access, still won't be able to use these holes to access readable data.

from Schneier on Security https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/06/mongodb_offers_.html