How To Install And Secure Phpmyadmin On Ubuntu 16.04

Introduction

While many users need the functionality of a database management system similar MySQL, they may non feel comfortable interacting with the system solely from the MySQL prompt.

phpMyAdmin was created so that users tin interact with MySQL through a web interface. In this guide, we'll discuss how to install and secure phpMyAdmin and then that you tin can safely use it to manage your databases from an Ubuntu 16.04 system.

Prerequisites

Before you become started with this guide, you lot need to take some basic steps completed.

First, we'll assume that you are using a not-root user with sudo privileges, as described in steps one-iv in the initial server setup of Ubuntu 16.04.

We're also going to presume that yous've completed a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) installation on your Ubuntu 16.04 server. If this is not completed even so, you tin follow this guide on installing a LAMP stack on Ubuntu 16.04.

Finally, in that location are important security considerations when using software like phpMyAdmin, since it:

• Communicates straight with your MySQL installation
• Handles authentication using MySQL credentials
• Executes and returns results for arbitrary SQL queries

For these reasons, and because it is a widely-deployed PHP application which is frequently targeted for attack, you should never run phpMyAdmin on remote systems over a manifestly HTTP connection. If y'all do not have an existing domain configured with an SSL/TLS certificate, you can follow this guide on securing Apache with Let'south Encrypt on Ubuntu 16.04.

Once you are finished with these steps, you lot're ready to get started with this guide.

Pace One — Install phpMyAdmin

To get started, we will install phpMyAdmin from the default Ubuntu repositories.

Nosotros can do this by updating our local bundle index and then using the apt packaging system to pull downward the files and install them on our organization:

                      
              
                sudo                apt-go                update              
              
                sudo                apt-become                install                phpmyadmin php-mbstring php-gettext              
            
                  

This will ask you lot a few questions in guild to configure your installation correctly.

Warning: When the first prompt appears, apache2 is highlighted, but not selected. If you do non striking Space to select Apache, the installer will not movement the necessary files during installation. Striking Space, Tab, and then Enter to select Apache.

• For the server pick, choose apache2.
• Select yes when asked whether to use dbconfig-mutual to set up the database
• You will be prompted for your database administrator's password
• Y'all will then be asked to choose and confirm a countersign for the phpMyAdmin application itself

The installation process actually adds the phpMyAdmin Apache configuration file into the /etc/apache2/conf-enabled/ directory, where it is automatically read.

The only affair we demand to practise is explicitly enable the PHP mcrypt and mbstring extensions, which nosotros can do past typing:

                      
              
                sudo                phpenmod mcrypt              
              
                sudo                phpenmod mbstring              
            
                  

Later, you'll need to restart Apache for your changes to be recognized:

                      
              
                sudo                systemctl restart apache2              
            
                  

You tin can now admission the web interface by visiting your server's domain name or public IP address followed by /phpmyadmin:

          https://domain_name_or_IP/phpmyadmin                  

You can at present log into the interface using the root username and the authoritative password you lot set up during the MySQL installation.

When you log in, you'll see the user interface, which will look something like this:

Step Two — Secure your phpMyAdmin Instance

Nosotros were able to get our phpMyAdmin interface up and running fairly hands. Even so, we are not done yet. Because of its ubiquity, phpMyAdmin is a popular target for attackers. We should have extra steps to forbid unauthorized access.

Ane of the easiest way of doing this is to identify a gateway in front of the entire application. We can do this using Apache'southward built-in .htaccess hallmark and authority functionalities.

Configure Apache to Allow .htaccess Overrides

Start, we need to enable the use of .htaccess file overrides by editing our Apache configuration file.

We will edit the linked file that has been placed in our Apache configuration directory:

                      
              
                sudo                nano                /etc/apache2/conf-available/phpmyadmin.conf              
            
                  

We need to add together an AllowOverride All directive within the <Directory /usr/share/phpmyadmin> section of the configuration file, like this:

/etc/apache2/conf-available/phpmyadmin.conf

          <Directory /usr/share/phpmyadmin>     Options FollowSymLinks     DirectoryIndex index.php            AllowOverride All            . . .                  

When you have added this line, relieve and close the file.

To implement the changes y'all made, restart Apache:

                      
              
                sudo                systemctl restart apache2              
            
                  

Create an .htaccess File

Now that we have enabled .htaccess employ for our application, we need to create ane to really implement some security.

In social club for this to be successful, the file must be created inside the awarding directory. We can create the necessary file and open it in our text editor with root privileges by typing:

                      
              
                sudo                nano                /usr/share/phpmyadmin/.htaccess              
            
                  

Within this file, we need to enter the following information:

/usr/share/phpmyadmin/.htaccess

          AuthType Basic AuthName "Restricted Files" AuthUserFile /etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd Require valid-user                  

Let'south go over what each of these lines mean:

• AuthType Bones: This line specifies the hallmark type that we are implementing. This type will implement password authentication using a countersign file.
• AuthName: This sets the message for the authentication dialog box. You should keep this generic so that unauthorized users won't proceeds whatsoever information about what is beingness protected.
• AuthUserFile: This sets the location of the password file that will be used for authentication. This should be exterior of the directories that are being served. We will create this file shortly.
• Require valid-user: This specifies that but authenticated users should exist given access to this resources. This is what really stops unauthorized users from entering.

When yous are finished, save and close the file.

Create the .htpasswd file for Authentication

The location that we selected for our password file was "/etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd". We tin at present create this file and pass it an initial user with the htpasswd utility:

                      
              
                sudo                htpasswd -c /etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd                username              
            
                  

You will be prompted to select and confirm a countersign for the user you are creating. Afterwards, the file is created with the hashed countersign that you entered.

If yous desire to enter an boosted user, you need to practise and so without the -c flag, similar this:

                      
              
                sudo                htpasswd /etc/phpmyadmin/.htpasswd                additionaluser              
            
                  

At present, when you access your phpMyAdmin subdirectory, you will be prompted for the additional business relationship proper name and password that you just configured:

          https://domain_name_or_IP/phpmyadmin                  

After entering the Apache authentication, yous'll be taken to the regular phpMyAdmin hallmark page to enter your other credentials. This volition add together an additional layer of security since phpMyAdmin has suffered from vulnerabilities in the by.

Conclusion

You lot should now have phpMyAdmin configured and set to utilize on your Ubuntu sixteen.04 server. Using this interface, you can easily create databases, users, tables, etc., and perform the usual operations like deleting and modifying structures and data.

Source: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-and-secure-phpmyadmin-on-ubuntu-16-04

Posted by: mercersheill.blogspot.com

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