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Tips to Help Boost the Security of Your MySQL Database

By Sujain Thomas, Security of Your MySQL Database, Remote DBA

If you have been keen on database security news, you may have heard of the attacks on
MySQL databases.

The attacks used to be common on the likes of CouchDB, Cassandra, MongoDB and
ElasticSearch. They are now on MySQL.

When you come to think of it, no platform is safe. It is up to you to keep your database safe.
There are a couple of things you should consider doing.

Don’t leave any ‘open doors’
The key to boosting the security of your MySQL database is to start by minimizing the SQL
server exposure. This means you need to cover all the ‘doors’.

Only install the required components and avoid running your server using an account that has
local Windows administrative privileges.

A domain account will minimize exposure. What’s more is that you need to edit all the default
settings. If you are not using some of the default settings, disable them.

Hackers target the default settings in their attacks.

Limit who can access the server
When planning the user and service accounts, you have to be mindful of user accountability.
This will help prevent the misuse of the privileged accounts.

When you have the option of integrated Windows authentication and the built-in SQL server
authentication, go with the integrated Windows authentication.

If you must use the second option, ensure that you have a strong password policy. Avoid the
use of shared user accounts for the administrators.

For more security, you must always use the dedicated accounts. If you are still confused about
which service to use, consider hiring professional database services.

Plan database ownership as well as data security in advance
The mistake most people make is that of making alterations as they go. When it comes to the
security of your database, this is not something you should do.

You have to plan everything in advance.

103 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – April 2017 Edition
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