Another month, another database security disaster. It seems database security breaches are becoming more common as bad actors realize that databases contain lots of, well, data.
How does this keep happening? Usually, the answer is poorly executed database security protocols. How can we stop it from happening?
The good news is that it’s preventable. Databases do not need to be at risk, as long as you take the necessary precautions. Usually the answer is configuration. Don’t just use the out-of-box settings. Do use iptables to secure access. (As far as can be determined in the recent Exactis breach, had the setup made use of iptables or a similar feature, then the breach would have been prevented.)
In this article, we’ll look at steps you can take to secure PostgreSQL against intrusions and attacks. First we’ll look at implementing SSL connections and certificate-based authentication in PostgreSQL. Then we’ll examine how to create users and groups in PostgreSQL that provide the minimum appropriate level of database access.
