MYSQL is popular in the Linux and UNIX environments for effective data management. But like other software, this system is also prone to get attacked by vulnerabilities. The default configuration of this database system has security issues that need to be solved. Otherwise, this will make your system insecure and allow attackers to access your server easily. This is the reason why many businesses get attacked by brute force attacks. Moreover, it can also raise the question of how secure your customer’s data is.
Therefore, security is the first priority that you need to consider. Here are some simple methods to secure the MYSQL system in a Linux environment.
Ensure To Create A Password At The Initial Stage:
Usually, it allows users to set a root password during the installation. Before, it allows users without a password to use your system. However, you should never skip this step because it is the first step to secure your administrator account. After the installation completes, you need to run some scripts to secure your system.
In the first step, you can run a script “mysql_install_db”. It will create a directory for your database. Then run the script “mysql_secure_installation”. By running this script, you can remove some harmful settings from your system, which can make your system insecure. This will guide you in creating a root password for your system. Here it will ask you a set of questions to allow you to change the root password.
Once the password is created, it won’t allow anyone to sign in to your MYSQL account. Also, it will prevent users from signing in to your administrator account remotely.
Consider Changing The Default Port For MYSQL:
Another security measure to protect your MYSQL is changing its default port. The default MYSQL port is 3306, which is known to everyone. Therefore, attackers can easily get access to your system. So it is a good practice to change this port after the installation completes. You can change this port under mysqld section.
Remove The Shell History Of MYSQL:
The commands executed on the MYSQL shell are stored by the MYSQL client in the shell history. It can be harmful to the user accounts that you are going to create as it will store the usernames and passwords on the history file. So, make sure to delete the shell history of MYSQL to protect your accounts.
Make Sure That The MYSQL Server Is Updated:
Upgrading your MYSQL server package frequently is a simple practice to secure your system. By doing this, you can get bug fixes and security updates for your system easily. So ensure to update your packages in the default operating system for improved security. After updating the packages, you can restart your system to experience the changes.
Implement Extra Security Plug-Ins:
MYSQL has many security plugins to keep your system protected. Some examples of these plugins are password validation and securing storage for your valuable data, authenticating attempts by clients to connect to the MYSQL server, etc. Also, most security plugins are available in free versions to let you use them with ease.
Delete Unspecified Accounts:
By default, MYSQL creates several unspecified users that are not useful after installing the server. Also, they can create security issues for your system. Therefore, you need to consider deleting these accounts from your system. By doing this, you can block the entry points of attackers to your system.
Configure Appropriate Permissions For MYSQL Files:
This is another important measure to secure your MYSQL system. You need to ensure that you have proper permissions to all your MYSQL server files and data directories that lock your system for attackers. The my.cnf file of your server should be writable only to the root user to limit inappropriate users. Thus you can control the users from changing the configurations in your server.
Use SSL To Encrypt The Data In Transit:
While transferring data over the network, it is essential to secure that to prevent people from accessing it. With increased traffic, your data is prone to get exposed to people during the transfers. Therefore, you can use SSL for both server and client to prevent your data loss. This way, you can safely transfer your data and prevent attackers from accessing it.
Securing your MYSQL server is one of the important things to ensure the proper performance of your system. The above security practices are the best option to opt for. These are easy to perform and will provide effective results.
