MySQL Security Guide

Secure your MySQL database with these essential best practices 🔒

1. User Permissions & Access Control

• Principle of Least Privilege: Grant users only the permissions they need.
  • Example: Use GRANT SELECT ON database.table TO 'user'@'host'; instead of ALL PRIVILEGES.
• Strong Password Policies: Enforce complex passwords and regular updates.
  • Enable validate_password plugin for automatic checks.
• Disable Remote Root Login: Prevent unauthorized access via mysql_native_password plugin.
  • Run: SET GLOBAL validate_password.policy = STRONG;

2. Network Security

• Firewall Restrictions: Allow connections only from trusted IPs.
  • Use iptables or cloud security groups to block unnecessary ports.
• SSL/TLS Encryption: Secure data in transit with MySQL's built-in SSL support.
  • Enable in my.cnf:

    [mysqld]  
    ssl-ca=/path/to/ca.pem  
    ssl-cert=/path/to/server-cert.pem  
    ssl-key=/path/to/server-key.pem  
    

  • 📌 Learn more about SSL configuration

3. Data Protection

• Regular Backups: Use mysqldump or binary logs for disaster recovery.
  • Example: mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases > backup.sql
• Row-Level Encryption: Encrypt sensitive fields using AES or TDE (Transparent Data Encryption).
• Audit Logs: Monitor access with audit_log plugin for compliance.

4. Update & Patch Management

• Keep MySQL server and plugins updated to fix vulnerabilities.
• Use official repositories for packages (e.g., MySQL downloads).
• Automate patching with tools like Ansible or Puppet.

5. Intrusion Detection

• Enable the log_bin feature for binary logging.
• Use tools like MySQL Enterprise Firewall to detect anomalies.
• Regularly review slow query log and error log for suspicious activity.

6. Additional Resources

• 📘 MySQL Official Security Documentation
• 🛡️ How to Hardening MySQL Server

Always test security changes in a staging environment before production deployment! 🚀