15 Good Security Tips for MongoDB

MongoDB database products risk being hacked or experiencing a security breach like any other tech product connected to the Internet. If security is not a priority for a user, issues may soon arise. Instead, you should protect your data and guard against unauthorized access. Defend against hacks with the right security protocols in place for your database.

 

Here are some security tips for MongoDB to remember while building your MongoDB database.

 

Enable Authorization

 

Many data leaks from MongoDB databases have been attributed to a lack of authorization, which is turned off by default when you launch. Authorization ensures that users accessing your MongoDB database are authorized and not unknown parties.

 

Enable Authentication

 

When deploying MongoDB as a service for the first time, some users don’t realize they can enable authentication. Assign user IDs and passwords. Provide login credentials for each user so that if credentials are compromised, it does not compromise the entire account.

 

Use Strong Passwords

 

Just like with any account, ensure your passwords are strong. Use letters, numbers, upper-case and lower-case, and special characters.

 

Use Role-Based Access Control

 

Assign privileges to each account based on their role. Authorizations should be tagged to defined roles, with a clear guideline for what areas of your database they are authenticated to view. Customize these roles based on your team’s needs, whether for the application server, database administrator, development, or otherwise.

 

Encrypt Your Data

 

Encrypt your data; if there is a data leak, an unauthorized user cannot read it. By default, all MongoDB data is encrypted. However, at-rest encryption is not the standard. To encrypt data at rest or in storage, you must have MongoDB Enterprise or MongoDB Atlas – another reason to upgrade your database.

 

Encrypt All Communication

 

Configure MongoDB to use TLS/SSL for incoming and outgoing connections. This will encrypt communication between the Mongod and Mongos deployment components and all applications.

 

Use Additional Client-Side Encryption

 

MongoDB encryption is generally applied at the server level. An additional measure is client-side field-level encryption, which assigns a unique decryption key to the client. In essence, only the user can read the encrypted data. If someone accessed the server by chance, the data would remain encrypted without the user’s decryption key.

 

Audit System Activity

 

Use the MongoDB auditing feature to analyze user actions, system events, and more. Looking at these logs, patterns and issues can be spotted, from configuration changes to tracking general access. MongoDB records all activity. Auditing these logs can be extremely valuable in understanding whether and how a breach occurs.

 

Limit JavaScript Usage

 

MongoDB supports JavaScript expressions. Hackers can exploit JavaScript expressions to gain access by using a query that concatenates user input without proper validation. Be cautious with JavaScript expressions in queries and find another way to accomplish the task.

 

Update Your MongoDB Database

 

Do not skip a security update. When a new version comes out, retire the old version. Newer MongoDB iterations carry all the necessary security updates and bug fixes that you want to prioritize between performance and security. When updates are not installed, your database may have security vulnerabilities that make it easier to breach.

 

Periodically Check Policies and Product Upgrades

 

Periodically check for policy changes and product upgrades. Make sure to note the MongoDB end-of-life dates. All security system policies and procedures should match your MongoDB configuration. Apply patches where required. Ensure network rules aren’t causing inadvertent database exposure. Periodically rotate your MongoDB users.

 

Limit Remote Connections

 

Limit remote connections to your database to prevent intruders outside your network from gaining access. The best approach to limiting remote connections is to allow connections only from specified IP addresses.

 

Use a VPC with MongoDB Atlas

 

MongoDB Atlas automatically provides each project with its own virtual private connection. A VPC is an isolated cloud environment with servers and storage maintained on a virtual network. Users can enable VPC peering to private networks housing their applications, preventing public access to the Internet and dramatically improving security.

 

Back Up MongoDB Regularly

 

If you lose your data due to a security compromise, back up your MongoDB database frequently. This way, you can always restore anything you lost. Frequent backups automated on a schedule ensure you always have a backup of your data available. Backing up MongoDB can be accomplished in many ways, from using Mongodump and Mongorestore to creating file system backups.

 

Upgrade to MongoDB Enterprise

 

While MongoDB Community Edition is free, MongoDB Enterprise Server offers far better security. It offers additional security and performance features, such as LDAP integration, encryption for data at rest, and more.