mitigations.md

Mitigation Strategies Analysis for go-sql-driver/mysql

Mitigation Strategy: Principle of Least Privilege for MySQL Users

• Description:
  • Step 1 (DevOps/Database Admin): Create dedicated MySQL users for the application instead of using the root user or users with excessive privileges.
  • Step 2 (DevOps/Database Admin): For each application user, grant only the minimum necessary privileges required for its specific functions. Use GRANT statements in MySQL to control permissions at the database and table level (e.g., SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE).
  • Step 3 (DevOps/Database Admin): Avoid granting broad privileges like GRANT ALL or SUPERUSER.
  • Step 4 (Developers - Configuration): Ensure the application is configured to connect to MySQL using these restricted user credentials.
  • Step 5 (Regular Review): Periodically review and adjust user privileges as application requirements change, always adhering to the principle of least privilege.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Privilege Escalation (Medium to High Severity): If the application is compromised, a limited privilege user restricts the attacker's ability to perform broader damage within the database.
  • Data Breach (Medium Severity): Limits the scope of data accessible if the application is compromised.
• Impact:
  • Privilege Escalation: Significant reduction. Limits the potential damage from a compromised application.
  • Data Breach: Partial reduction. Reduces the amount of data immediately accessible upon initial compromise.
• Currently Implemented:
  • Yes, implemented. A dedicated MySQL user with specific SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE permissions is used for the application.
• Missing Implementation:
  • No missing implementation currently, but regular review of user privileges is needed as new features are added.

Mitigation Strategy: Strong MySQL User Passwords

• Description:
  • Step 1 (DevOps/Database Admin): Generate strong, unique passwords for all MySQL users, especially those used by applications. Use password generators to create complex passwords.
  • Step 2 (DevOps/Database Admin): Store MySQL credentials securely using environment variables, configuration files with restricted access, or secrets management solutions. Never hardcode passwords in application code.
  • Step 3 (Regular Rotation): Implement a policy for regular password rotation for MySQL users, especially for critical application users.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Brute-Force Attacks (Medium Severity): Strong passwords make brute-force attacks against MySQL user accounts significantly harder.
  • Credential Stuffing (Medium Severity): Unique passwords prevent attackers from using credentials compromised from other services to access the database.
• Impact:
  • Brute-Force Attacks: High reduction. Makes brute-force attacks impractical.
  • Credential Stuffing: High reduction. Prevents reuse of compromised credentials.
• Currently Implemented:
  • Yes, implemented. MySQL passwords are generated using a password manager and stored in environment variables on the application server.
• Missing Implementation:
  • Password rotation policy is not yet formally implemented and automated.

Mitigation Strategy: Enable TLS/SSL Encryption for MySQL Connections

• Description:
  • Step 1 (DevOps/Database Admin - MySQL Server): Configure the MySQL server to enable and enforce TLS/SSL connections. This typically involves generating server certificates and configuring MySQL to use them.
  • Step 2 (Developers - Application Configuration): Modify the Go application's MySQL connection string to enable TLS. This can be done by adding tls=true or tls=skip-verify (for testing/development, but avoid in production) to the connection string. For more secure setups, configure client certificates and CA certificates for mutual TLS.
  • Step 3 (DevOps/Network): Ensure that network infrastructure (firewalls, load balancers) also supports and allows TLS encrypted traffic on the MySQL port.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Eavesdropping (High Severity): Protects sensitive data transmitted between the application and MySQL server from being intercepted by attackers on the network.
  • Man-in-the-Middle Attacks (High Severity): Prevents attackers from intercepting and manipulating communication between the application and MySQL server.
• Impact:
  • Eavesdropping: High reduction. Encrypts data in transit, making eavesdropping ineffective.
  • Man-in-the-Middle Attacks: High reduction. TLS provides authentication and encryption, making MITM attacks significantly harder.
• Currently Implemented:
  • Yes, implemented in production and staging environments. Connection strings are configured with tls=true.
• Missing Implementation:
  • Mutual TLS (client certificate authentication) is not yet implemented, only server-side TLS is enabled.

Mitigation Strategy: Database Auditing (MySQL Side)

• Description:
  • Step 1 (DevOps/Database Admin - MySQL Server): Enable MySQL's audit logging features. This might involve installing and configuring an audit log plugin (e.g., audit_log).
  • Step 2 (DevOps/Database Admin - MySQL Server): Configure the audit log to capture relevant events, such as connection attempts, failed login attempts, executed queries (especially INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE), and administrative actions.
  • Step 3 (Security Team/DevOps): Implement a system for collecting, storing, and analyzing audit logs. Integrate with SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems if available.
  • Step 4 (Security Team/DevOps): Regularly review audit logs for suspicious activity, anomalies, and potential security incidents. Set up alerts for critical events.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Data Breaches (Medium to High Severity): Audit logs provide evidence of data breaches and can help in incident response and forensic analysis.
  • Insider Threats (Medium Severity): Logs can detect and deter malicious actions by internal users with database access.
  • Compliance Violations (Varies): Auditing is often required for compliance with security standards and regulations (e.g., GDPR, PCI DSS).
• Impact:
  • Data Breaches: Partial reduction (detection and response). Helps in identifying and responding to breaches after they occur.
  • Insider Threats: Partial reduction (detection and deterrence). Increases visibility into database activity.
  • Compliance Violations: High reduction (compliance adherence). Helps meet audit and logging requirements.
• Currently Implemented:
  • Partially implemented. Basic MySQL general query log is enabled, but not a dedicated audit log plugin with more granular control.
• Missing Implementation:
  • Implement a dedicated MySQL audit log plugin (like audit_log), configure it for relevant events, and integrate log analysis with a SIEM or centralized logging system.

Mitigation Strategy: Resource Limits on MySQL Server

• Description:
  • Step 1 (DevOps/Database Admin - MySQL Server): Configure resource limits on the MySQL server side, such as max_connections in my.cnf, to prevent the server from being overwhelmed by excessive connection attempts.
  • Step 2 (DevOps/Database Admin - MySQL Server): Configure other relevant MySQL server resource limits based on expected application load and server capacity (e.g., innodb_buffer_pool_size, query_cache_size - consider deprecation of query cache in newer versions).
  • Step 3 (Monitoring): Monitor MySQL server resource usage (CPU, memory, connections, disk I/O) to identify potential bottlenecks and adjust resource limits as needed.
• List of Threats Mitigated:
  • Denial of Service (DoS) - Resource Exhaustion (Medium Severity): Excessive connection attempts or resource-intensive queries can exhaust database server resources, leading to performance degradation or service outages.
• Impact:
  • Denial of Service (DoS) - Resource Exhaustion: Significant reduction. Resource limits prevent resource exhaustion due to overload.
• Currently Implemented:
  • Partially implemented. MySQL server-side max_connections limit is set to a default value.
• Missing Implementation:
  • MySQL server-side resource limits need to be more precisely tuned based on application requirements and server capacity. More comprehensive monitoring of MySQL server resources is needed to inform optimal configuration.