After a fresh MySQL server setup I always run mysql_secure_installation script. It allows to tune several settings, related to MySQL security and it is strongly recommended for running on every server.
Let me show you the output of this command and explain some steps that are performed.
[root@hosted-by checkers]# mysql_secure_installation
NOTE: RUNNING ALL PARTS OF THIS SCRIPT IS RECOMMENDED FOR ALL MySQL
SERVERS IN PRODUCTION USE! PLEASE READ EACH STEP CAREFULLY!In order to log into MySQL to secure it, we’ll need the current
password for the root user. If you’ve just installed MySQL, and
you haven’t set the root password yet, the password will be blank,
so you should just press enter here.Enter current password for root (enter for none):
If you have a fresh installation, MySQL server comes without password. If you are applying the script on an aged server, it should have password and MySQL requires it to be entered.
OK, successfully used password, moving on…
Setting the root password ensures that nobody can log into the MySQL
root user without the proper authorisation.You already have a root password set, so you can safely answer ‘n’.
Change the root password? [Y/n] n
… skipping.
If you don’t have a root password yet, it is strongly recommended to set one. In the example my server already had MySQL root password and I didn’t change it. Next step is to disable anonymous users.
By default, a MySQL installation has an anonymous user, allowing anyone to log into MySQL without having to have a user account created for them. This is intended only for testing, and to make the installation go a bit smoother. You should remove them before moving into a production environment.Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] Y … Success!
And then it is strongle recommended to disallow root access from foreign locations:
Normally, root should only be allowed to connect from ‘localhost’. This
ensures that someone cannot guess at the root password from the network.Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] Y
… Success!
If you don’t need a test database (usually you don’t need it) – it is safe to remove it.
By default, MySQL comes with a database named ‘test’ that anyone can
access. This is also intended only for testing, and should be removed
before moving into a production environment.Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] Y
– Dropping test database…
… Success!
– Removing privileges on test database…
… Success!
And now you need to apply all changes to the database.
Reloading the privilege tables will ensure that all changes made so far
will take effect immediately.Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] Y
… Success!Cleaning up…
All done! If you’ve completed all of the above steps, your MySQL
installation should now be secure.Thanks for using MySQL!
That’s all. Now your MySQL server is much more secure. :) Don’t forget about all other settings, located in /etc/my.cnf by default.