| Subject | Re: [ib-support] Database security |
|---|---|
| Author | unordained |
| Post date | 2003-04-29T23:05:46Z |
as i recall, this is one of the main things keeping a lot of hosting sites from using
firebird/interbase rather than mysql for their (many) users' databases. sysdba is like root on a
system -- it has access, period. therefore, your only safety is to make sure the file itself cannot
be copied or opened on a server you don't control.
if it's a shared server, the root user will always have the ability to look at your database. you
have no safety there. to protect yourself from other users, like yourself, you'd need to make sure
the file is owned by a user -they- can't log in as. however, if there's just one instance of
firebird running on the machine, that instance needs to be able to read all the database files it's
being asked to serve. therefore, that one instance will always need to have access to both your
database files, and other users'. if other users have access to the sysdba password (for whatever
reason) then you're just out of luck. a solution might be to run multiple instances of firebird on
the same machine, all with different sysdba passwords, running as the user who owns the files in
question. each user or group, effectively, might have his/her/its own database server instance (all
running on different ports) ... it would then require root privs to move your database files or
change the permissions on them, so that other users could have a look at your database.
firebird-users are part of the instance, not the file. i've run into cases where, when moving a
database file from one server to another, i had forgotten to create the appropriate users. as
sysdba, you can change the ownership of the tables to any user that does exist, or create the user
required (by name.) you'll have no security whatsoever if anybody gets ahold of the sysdba password
to an instance of firebird that has access to your database file. sorry.
it's exactly like trying to keep root from looking at your internet history. move to another
server, or try to worry only about other users who aren't root. try to make sure that only root has
the sysdba password, and not any other users on the system.
i don't have the last word, however. hopefully someone here has a better solution. (i'd be happy to
see a solution that would lead to more shared-hosting sites offereing firebird support, at least in
addition to mysql. i can't abide that horror, and am sad so much attention is given to it.)
-philip
---------- Original Message -----------
From: Zakir Mahomedy <zmahomedy@...>
To: ib-support@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 12:50:31 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ib-support] Database security
firebird/interbase rather than mysql for their (many) users' databases. sysdba is like root on a
system -- it has access, period. therefore, your only safety is to make sure the file itself cannot
be copied or opened on a server you don't control.
if it's a shared server, the root user will always have the ability to look at your database. you
have no safety there. to protect yourself from other users, like yourself, you'd need to make sure
the file is owned by a user -they- can't log in as. however, if there's just one instance of
firebird running on the machine, that instance needs to be able to read all the database files it's
being asked to serve. therefore, that one instance will always need to have access to both your
database files, and other users'. if other users have access to the sysdba password (for whatever
reason) then you're just out of luck. a solution might be to run multiple instances of firebird on
the same machine, all with different sysdba passwords, running as the user who owns the files in
question. each user or group, effectively, might have his/her/its own database server instance (all
running on different ports) ... it would then require root privs to move your database files or
change the permissions on them, so that other users could have a look at your database.
firebird-users are part of the instance, not the file. i've run into cases where, when moving a
database file from one server to another, i had forgotten to create the appropriate users. as
sysdba, you can change the ownership of the tables to any user that does exist, or create the user
required (by name.) you'll have no security whatsoever if anybody gets ahold of the sysdba password
to an instance of firebird that has access to your database file. sorry.
it's exactly like trying to keep root from looking at your internet history. move to another
server, or try to worry only about other users who aren't root. try to make sure that only root has
the sysdba password, and not any other users on the system.
i don't have the last word, however. hopefully someone here has a better solution. (i'd be happy to
see a solution that would lead to more shared-hosting sites offereing firebird support, at least in
addition to mysql. i can't abide that horror, and am sad so much attention is given to it.)
-philip
---------- Original Message -----------
From: Zakir Mahomedy <zmahomedy@...>
To: ib-support@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 12:50:31 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ib-support] Database security
> How would I go about putting a username/password on a firebird database which will not------- End of Original Message -------
> allow SYSDBA/masterkey combo to work on any firebird server? I read on one of the threads
> that a user can take someone elses firebird db and put it on his own server where
> SYSDBA/masterkey will work to open the db. I created a test db where the owner was not
> SYSDBA of the db and still SYSDBA was able to open it. How can I prevent this?
>
> |
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