How protect MySQL database from dump and clone?

Question

my question is whether the password-protected server and database can be protected from copying so that my malicious customers to bypass security settings.

MySQL server has: user -> 'root' with password with disable global privilege user -> 'javaAPP' with password with limited privilege only for working database and disable disable global privilege user -> 'superadmin' with global privilege

When try comand mysqdump requires password and allows action only for user 'superadmin'.

When copy folder '\\data' with exist working database folder and every files to other computer all user settings permissions and passwords are transferred to the new server. So it's look ok.

When copy only database folder '\\data\\javaAPPdatabase' to other computer ... i see the tables empty .. no fields. I guess this is due to missing user rules.

So ... more what I need to do to protect unauthorized access to the database ? I am trying to protect my java application through the database Please help me!?

MySQL server is located in client network on client PC.

I recognize my knowledge in mysql is reduced to working functions, triggers and procedures.

Answer 1

MySQL server is located in client network on client PC.

Then it's theirs. They have complete access to it. There's no way to prevent them from reading all the data anytime they want.

Even if you restrict access with passwords, they can restart the MySQL service with the skip-grant-tables option enabled, so passwords are not enforced (see https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.7/en/resetting-permissions.html ).

The only way you can limit access to the data is NOT to install the database at the client site. Host the data yourself, and provide an API to access it through a web service you host.