Securing Your MySQL Server Against Common Vulnerabilities
Jul 07, 2025 am 02:06 AMThe following measures are required to strengthen the MySQL server: 1. Use strong passwords and restrict permissions, delete unnecessary users, avoid root remote login, and use GRANT and REVOKE to finely control access; 2. Close unnecessary services and ports, limit the access range of port 3306, and disable non-essential functions such as skip-networking and local_infile; 3. Regularly update the database version and enable log auditing, enable slow queries, errors, general and binary logs to track suspicious behavior; ensure database security by continuously paying attention to configuration, permissions, updates and monitoring.
As the core database system of many applications, MySQL server is crucial. If you don't pay attention to protecting it, you may be exploited by attackers to obtain sensitive data, tamper with information, and even control the entire server. Here are some practical practices to help you harden your MySQL server and prevent common security risks.

Use strong passwords and limit permissions
MySQL is usually installed by default with some default accounts or empty passwords, which can become attack portals. The first step is to make sure all users have strong passwords and only grant them the minimum permissions they need to complete the task.

- Check the user list regularly: Use
SELECT User, Host FROM mysql.user;
to view all current users. - Delete unnecessary users: such as anonymous users (Anonymous) and test databases.
- Avoid using root Remote login: The root user has the highest permissions. If you must access remotely, it is recommended to create a dedicated account and limit its permissions.
In terms of permission management, you can use GRANT
and REVOKE
commands to finely control the access range of each user. For example:
GRANT SELECT, INSERT ON dbname.* TO 'user'@'host';
This can prevent an account from causing damage to the entire database.

Close unnecessary services and ports
MySQL listens on port 3306 by default, but if external access is not required, it should be restricted to local access only (binding to 127.0.0.1). This can be achieved by modifying bind-address
in the configuration file.
- If remote connections must be allowed, a firewall should be used to restrict access to only specific IPs.
- Do not expose MySQL to the public network unless there is a very clear need and additional security measures are taken (such as SSL encryption, IP whitelist, etc.).
- Disable MySQL's "skip-networking" option (unless you do need to disable network access).
In addition, some non-essential functions and services should also be turned off, such as:
- Disable
local_infile
: Prevent malicious files from injecting through LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE. - Don't enable similar extension settings such as
allow_url_fopen
unless necessary.
Regular updates and log audits
MySQL official releases security updates regularly to fix known vulnerabilities. Keeping the database version up to date is one of the important means of defending against attacks.
- Set up an automatic update mechanism or check official announcements regularly.
- Avoid using older versions that have been stopped supporting, they no longer receive security patches.
At the same time, turning on logging can help you track suspicious behavior:
- Enable slow query logs, error logs, and general query logs to help troubleshoot problems.
- Turning on binary logs (binlog) can be used to recover data and also helps analyze attack traces.
- Regularly review log content, especially when login failed frequently.
You can check whether the relevant logs are enabled in the following ways:
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'log_%';
If conditions permit, you can also use external tools to perform log analysis, such as ELK Stack or Graylog.
Basically that's it. MySQL security is not something that can be achieved overnight, but requires continuous attention to configuration, permissions, updates and monitoring. Some details seem simple, but they are often easily overlooked, thus becoming a breakthrough in attacks.
The above is the detailed content of Securing Your MySQL Server Against Common Vulnerabilities. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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