As the number of small business, membership, and internet marketing websites continue to increase, so to does the popularity of Open Source website and ecommerce content management systems. With a large selection of these free platforms available to choose from, including such popular choices as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento and osCommerce, the one thing they all have in common is the type of database system used. MySQL is one of the most popular database platforms available today, offering a great deal of reliability and versatility when supporting a website or content management platform.
With the popularity of MySQL also comes a greater focus by hackers on this widely used database platform as a target for attack and exploit. Website owners and administrators rely on MySQL for the safe and secure storage of website content, user accounts and passwords, and customer banking and credit card information. Gaining access to this type of information is the coveted goal of many hackers, and depending on how MySQL is administered, can be an easier goal to reach than you might imagine.
One of the most common mistakes made by website administrators is the use of database administration tools, such as phpMyAdmin, that can leave the database open to unauthorized access. phpMyAdmin is a free software tool written in PHP, and intended to handle the administration of MySQL remotely. There are known security issues with phpMyAdmin which can lead to the unauthorized access or loss of the entire contents of the website database.
When searching for a method to remotely manage and monitor your websites MySQL database, Oracle (the owners of MySQL) provide the perfect tool for the job, one that is free to use, secure, and easy to learn. MySQL Workbench offers a wide range of administration and diagnostics tools to help maintain your MySQL server instance. MySQL Workbench runs on Windows, Linux, and OS X, and provides a secure, GUI-based approach to MySQL administration.
MySQL Workbench requires the MySQL server be remotely accessible before it can connect to and manage the MySQL databases, but the majority of reputable hosting providers offer this option as part of your hosting package. Once configured for remote access, you can use MySQL Workbench to modify the remote access configuration and credentials to help ensure that only secured, authorized connections are made to your MySQL database.
MySQL database administration is an important component of your websites overall maintenance. If you are not familiar with the tasks necessary to operate and maintain MySQL, it is recommended that you seek the assistance of a reputable technical expert to assist you with database management and administration.
