In today's digital era, securing database servers is a crucial aspect of protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access, attacks, and data breaches. MariaDB, as a popular open-source relational database system, requires careful implementation of security measures to ensure the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of stored data. The following article presents a set of proven practices for securing a MariaDB server.

1. Operating System-level Security

Before installing MariaDB, it's important to ensure that the operating system (OS) on which the database runs is updated and secure. This includes:

• Applying OS security patches and updates: Regular updates ensure protection against known vulnerabilities.
• Limiting access to the server: Using a firewall and configuring rules to restrict access only from trusted IP addresses.

2. MariaDB-level Security

• Strong Passwords: Using strong, unique passwords for all accounts, including the root account, and regularly changing these passwords.
• Limiting Access Permissions: Assigning the least privilege necessary to user accounts based on their roles.
• Utilizing Encryption: Using SSL/TLS for encrypting data transmitted between the client and server and configuring data-at-rest encryption.

3. Configuration and Hardening

• Removing unnecessary data and features: Removing test databases and users that are not needed, and disabling unnecessary functions and services.
• Configuring the my.cnf/my.ini file: Setting configuration directives to enhance security, such as bind-address to restrict network access to the server only from the localhost.

4. Monitoring and Auditing

• Maintaining and analyzing logs: Configuring MariaDB to maintain detailed logs and regularly analyzing these logs to detect suspicious activity.
• Using Audit and Monitoring Tools: Implementing tools to monitor the database server's status and audit security settings.

5. Backup and Recovery

• Regular Data Backups: Implementing a backup strategy to protect data against loss or corruption. Backups should be stored in a secure, off-site location.
• Testing Recovery Plans: Regularly testing the backup restoration process to ensure that data can be reliably recovered when needed.

Implementing these proven practices for securing a MariaDB server is crucial for protecting sensitive data and ensuring the overall security of an information system. Security should be considered as an ongoing process, involving regular assessment and updating of security measures in response to newly discovered threats and vulnerabilities.