2016 oSC MySQL Firewall

Copyright © 2016, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. |
MySQL Firewall
Add an extra layer of security
to your database server
Georgi “Joro” Kodinov
MySQL Server General Team Lead

Georgi “Joro” Kodinov
MySQL @ Oracle
 Server General Team Lead
 Works on MySQL since 2006
 Specializes in:
 Security
 Client/server protocol
 Monitoring
 Loves history, diverse world cultures
 A devoted Formula 1 fan (Go, Massa !)

Agenda
3
Why a MySQL Firewall ?
Firewall Architecture
Installation and setup
Operation
Q&A

Why a MySQL Firewall ?
4

Simple !
Make SQL injection attacks harder !
5

“And it wouldn’t be a proper DBIR if we
didn’t raise a glass to one of the elder
statesmen of web application hacking,
SQL injection (SQLi)”
– http://www.verizonenterprise.com/verizon-insights-
lab/dbir/2016/
6

Why a MySQL Firewall ?
• Better SQL applications security
– User accounts can execute only application SQL
• Defense in dept
– Extra layer, works with the other methods
• Minimum performance cost
– Takes advantage of the server’s SQL processor
• No need for application changes
– Works inside the server
7
Other reasons

Exploits of a Mom
8
https://xkcd.com/327/

MySQL Firewall Architecture
9

MySQL Firewall
10
Anatomy
Firewall Plugin
SELECT ?+?
USE ?
Engine
• Compares incoming queries
with the allowed list
• Works on normalized
statements
• Multiple modes
• Audit API plugin
Statements Cache
• Entirely in memory
• Initialized from disk
• Content visible through
INFORMATION_SCHEMA

MySQL Server
MySQL Firewall
11
Operation
SELECT 1+2 SELECT 1+2
SELECT 1+2 OR ..Deny
Firewall Plugin
SELECT ?+?
USE ?

MySQL Firewall Operation Diagram
12

Installing The MySQL Firewall
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Installing the MySQL Firewall
$ mysql -u root -p mysql < linux_install_firewall.sql
mysql> SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'mysql_firewall_mode';
+---------------------+-------+
| Variable_name | Value |
+---------------------+-------+
| mysql_firewall_mode | ON |
+---------------------+-------+
15
The command line version

Operating the MySQL Firewall
Case study: adding firewall protection to a WordPress installation
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• Stock WordPress on apache2
• Uses the default
wordpress@localhost MySQL
account
• Runs against a local MySQL server
• MySQL server seeded with a user
and a schema for WordPress
• WordPress installation done with
defaults
17
Step 1: Install WordPress

Step 2: Put the Firewall Into Recording Mode
• Command Line
– $mysql -u root -p –e "CALL mysql.sp_set_firewall_mode('wordpress@localhost', 'RECORDING');“
• Workbench
18

Step 3: Accumulate White List Actions
• The non-trivial part !
• Click through all of the WordPress sequences that you want to be enabled
– This will generate the queries
• I have only clicked through saving a draft of a post
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Step 4: Inspect The Accumulated Rules
20

Step 5: Shields Up ! Switch To Protecting Mode
mysql> CALL mysql.sp_set_firewall_mode('wordpress@localhost',
'PROTECTING');
Query OK, 63 rows affected (0,00 sec)
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Step 6: Watch The Show !
mysql> show status like '%firewall%';
+----------------------------+-------+
+----------------------------+-------+
| Firewall_access_denied | 50 |
| Firewall_access_granted | 664 |
| Firewall_access_suspicious | 0 |
| Firewall_cached_entries | 63 |
+----------------------------+-------+
4 rows in set (0,01 sec)
+----------------------------+-------+
+----------------------------+-------+
+----------------------------+-------+
+----------------------------+-------+
+----------------------------+-------+
+----------------------------+-------+
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What Does the Application Get ?
• $ client/mysql -u wordpress --protocol=tcp -p -e "select version()“
ERROR 1045 (28000) at line 1: Statement was blocked by Firewall
• [Mon Jun 20 13:23:00.091246 2016] [:error] [pid 31596] [client 127.0.0.1:40226]
WordPress database error Statement was blocked by Firewall for query SELECT *
FROM wp_users WHERE user_email = 'test@test.com' made by edit_user, email_exists,
get_user_by, WP_User::get_data_by, referer: http://localhost/blog/wp-admin/user-
new.php
• [Mon Jun 20 13:23:00.094753 2016] [:error] [pid 31596] [client 127.0.0.1:40226]
WordPress database error Statement was blocked by Firewall for query SELECT *
FROM wp_users WHERE user_email = 'test@test.com' made by edit_user,
wp_insert_user, email_exists, get_user_by, WP_User::get_data_by, referer:
http://localhost/blog/wp-admin/user-new.php
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MySQL Firewall Operation: What Else ?
• Can log suspicious queries (not in the whitelist) instead of/in addition to
blocking
• The mysql.mysql_firewall_* tables are not special tables.
– It’s just that the firewall reads them at installation time
– And the stored programs write the INFORMATION_SCHEMA tables into them
• Can reset the stats
– mysql_firewall_flush_status() resets the status variables
• Can manipulate rule-sets
– Aggregate, prune, edit etc
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Questions And Answers
Confidential – Oracle
25

Safe Harbor Statement
The preceding is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for
information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a
commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon
in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features or
functionality described for Oracle’s products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle.
Confidential – Oracle
26

2016 oSC MySQL Firewall

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