One way to achieve data encryption at rest for MongoDB is to use eCryptFS, which is an enterprise-class stacked cryptographic filesystem for Linux. eCryptFS can encrypt any folder or partition on the disk, regardless of the underlying filesystem or partition type. eCryptFS uses a passphrase to generate a key that is used to encrypt and decrypt the data. The passphrase can be stored in a file or entered manually when mounting the encrypted folder.
In this article, we will show you how to use eCryptFS to encrypt the data directory of MongoDB on Ubuntu 16.04. We assume that you have already installed MongoDB and eCryptFS on your system. If not, you can follow the instructions from [Percona] and [eCryptFS] websites respectively.
Step 1: Stop MongoDB service
Before we can encrypt the data directory of MongoDB, we need to stop the MongoDB service if it is running. To do so, run the following command:
sudo service mongod stop
Step 2: Create directories for encryption
We need to create two new directories: one for storing the encrypted data files, and one for mounting the decrypted data files. The default data directory of MongoDB is /var/lib/mongodb, but you can change it to any location you prefer. In this example, we will use /datastore as the directory for storing the encrypted data files, and /var/lib/mongodb-encrypted as the directory for mounting the decrypted data files. To create these directories, run the following commands:
sudo mkdir /datastore sudo mkdir /var/lib/mongodb-encrypted
Step 3: Mount the encrypted directory
Now we can use eCryptFS to mount the /datastore directory and encrypt it with a passphrase. To do so, run the following command:
sudo mount -t ecryptfs /datastore /var/lib/mongodb-encrypted
This command will prompt you to enter a passphrase and some options for encryption. You should choose a strong passphrase that you can remember or store securely. You can also accept the default options for encryption, or customize them according to your needs. For more details on the options, you can refer to [eCryptFS documentation]. After entering the passphrase and options, you should see a message saying "Mounted eCryptFS" if everything went well.
Step 4: Copy the data files to the encrypted directory
Now that we have mounted the encrypted directory, we can copy the data files from the original data directory of MongoDB to the encrypted directory. To do so, run the following command:
sudo cp -r /var/lib/mongodb/* /var/lib/mongodb-encrypted/
This command will copy all the files and subdirectories from /var/lib/mongodb to /var/lib/mongodb-encrypted. You can verify that the files are encrypted by looking at them in /datastore. You should see random characters instead of readable data.
Step 5: Change the data directory of MongoDB
The last step is to change the data directory of MongoDB to point to the encrypted directory. To do so, we need to edit the configuration file of MongoDB, which is usually located at /etc/mongod.conf. Open this file with your favorite editor and look for a line that says "dbpath". Change it to point to /var/lib/mongodb-encrypted instead of /var/lib/mongodb. For example:
Where and how to store data.
storage:
dbPath: /var/lib/mongodb-encrypted journal: enabled: true #engine: #mmapv1: #wiredTiger:
Save and close the file. Now you can start the MongoDB service again by running the following command:
sudo service mongod start
You should see a message saying "Started MongoDB database server" if everything went well. You can also check the status of the service by running the following command:
sudo service mongod status
You should see a message saying "Active: active (running)" if the service is running properly. You can also connect to MongoDB using the mongo shell or any other client and verify that your data is intact and accessible.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to use eCryptFS to encrypt the data directory of MongoDB on Ubuntu 16.04. This method can provide an extra layer of security for your data at rest, especially if you are concerned about physical access or storage device compromise. However, you should also be aware of the limitations and risks of this method, such as:
You need to enter the passphrase every time you mount the encrypted directory, or store it in a file that can be accessed by root. If you forget or lose the passphrase, you will not be able to access your data.
If someone gains access to your system while the encrypted directory is mounted, they will be able to read and write your data as usual. You should also use other security measures, such as authentication, authorization, encryption in transit, firewall, etc., to protect your data from unauthorized access.
If you want to backup or restore your data, you need to copy or restore the entire encrypted directory, not just the individual files. You also need to use the same passphrase and options for encryption when mounting the encrypted directory on another system.
We hope that this article has been helpful for you. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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