Maintaining Security and Compliance While Scaling MongoDB with Open Source* Tools
* And Source-Available!
Why read this ebook
This eBook aims to dispel the misconception that enterprise-grade MongoDB security requires high-cost, proprietary solutions. You will learn about the essential features for securing MongoDB—such as encryption, role-based access control, audit logging, and monitoring—and why each is crucial for protecting your sensitive data and meeting regulatory requirements.
While MongoDB’s own documentation acknowledges that advanced security capabilities are limited to their Enterprise Advanced and Atlas products, this guide will show you how, with the open source and source-available enterprise-grade features in Percona Software for MongoDB, you can implement these critical protections without vendor lock-in or the excessive costs of proprietary software.
Pay up or run the security risk?
As your organization grows and data volume increases, security and compliance become critical, especially if you are in regulated sectors like finance, healthcare, or government. In these fields, the stakes are high: databases are subject to rigorous regulations and potential security risks that increase as the volume and complexity of data expand.
Many organizations choose MongoDB as their database for its flexibility and scalability, often starting with MongoDB Community Edition for quick test deployments. However, as your requirements evolve, you may find its basic security features fall short of enterprise needs.
While MongoDB Community Edition can technically be used in enterprise environments, it lacks key security, compliance, and scalability features critical for most enterprise needs. MongoDB’s official documentation even notes that while Community Edition does include some basic security capabilities, you will have to utilize Enterprise Advanced or Atlas for advanced tools such as data-at-rest encryption, audit logging, hot backups, LDAP integration, and log redaction.
This lack of features is particularly challenging for those organizations in regulated industries, leading many to consider MongoDB’s proprietary offerings. However, these options come with high costs, restrictive licensing, and limited control over environments, particularly as MongoDB increasingly pushes toward cloud-only solutions. For organizations unable to adopt the cloud due to regulatory constraints, this cloud-first shift can present major obstacles.
All this means is that organizations are often left with two options: pay for MongoDB’s costly proprietary solutions or forgo essential security features.
But what if there was a third way?
Critical security features needed for enterprise-grade MongoDB
Data encryption
Data encryption is essential for preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information and protecting data both when stored and during transmission. This layered approach is vital in regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and government, where compliance and security are top priorities.
Encryption at Rest
Encrypting data at rest ensures that stored information remains inaccessible without decryption keys. Mechanisms like WiredTiger’s encryption safeguard data even if the physical storage device is compromised, maintaining data integrity and protecting sensitive information over the long term.
This feature is not available in MongoDB Community Edition but is included in MongoDB Enterprise Advanced, Atlas, and Percona Server for MongoDB.
Encryption in Transit
SSL/TLS protocols encrypt data as it travels across networks, securing it during transfers between applications, networks, or users. This prevents interception or unauthorized access and maintains confidentiality during the data’s journey within distributed systems or cloud environments.
Encryption in transit is available in MongoDB Community Edition, Enterprise Advanced, Atlas, and Percona Server for MongoDB.
Together, these encryption protocols enhance both data integrity and confidentiality, effectively minimizing the risk of breaches and unauthorized access.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and advanced authentication
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and advanced authentication are essential for safeguarding sensitive data and limiting access strictly to authorized users. RBAC enforces a structured system of permissions, assigning access rights based on specific job functions. Advanced authentication methods, such as LDAP and Kerberos, further strengthen security by ensuring that only verified users and services can access the database, preventing unauthorized access and securing the system against potential threats.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
RBAC assigns access levels according to job functions, reducing unnecessary data visibility and restricting potential vulnerabilities. By limiting each user to specific actions, RBAC fosters a controlled environment where data access is need-based and tightly managed.
RBAC is available in MongoDB Community Edition, Enterprise Advanced, Atlas, and Percona Server for MongoDB.
Advanced authentication methods
Advanced authentication protocols, such as LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) and Kerberos, reinforce RBAC by adding layers of identity verification. LDAP centralizes user management, streamlining permission control across the database environment, while Kerberos employs encrypted tickets for secure user authentication, avoiding password transmission and strengthening access security.
These advanced authentication methods are not available in MongoDB Community Edition but are included in MongoDB Enterprise Advanced, Atlas, and Percona Server for MongoDB.
Audit logging for compliance and incident tracking
Auditing is a critical element for ensuring visibility and accountability in enterprise database environments. By capturing every user access, data modification, and administrative action, audit logs establish a transparent record of database activity. This comprehensive tracking is indispensable for detecting, responding to, and investigating security incidents, offering a clear history of interactions that allows security teams to identify unusual patterns or unauthorized actions swiftly.
Visibility and accountability
Detailed audit logs record all access points and modifications, making it easier to trace potential vulnerabilities back to specific actions or users. This visibility supports both ongoing internal monitoring and identification and resolution of security incidents, reinforcing data governance.
Compliance support
Audit logging is essential for meeting data privacy and security standards, including GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. Documenting access to sensitive data ensures that every interaction is recorded and accessible for compliance audits.
Strengthened security posture
Maintaining an accurate, comprehensive record of all database actions enables audit logs to function as an early warning system, allowing rapid response to any suspicious activity.
Audit logging is not available in MongoDB Community Edition but is included in MongoDB Enterprise Advanced, Atlas, and Percona Server for MongoDB.
FIPS-ready components for Federal compliance
Compliance with Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) is a critical requirement for organizations operating in highly regulated industries or collaborating with government entities. FIPS-certified database components ensure that systems adhere to the stringent security standards mandated by U.S. federal agencies for processing, storing, and transmitting sensitive or classified information.
Enhanced data protection
FIPS-ready solutions include cryptographic modules that have been rigorously tested and approved for secure data encryption, both at rest and in transit. This advanced level of encryption significantly lowers the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches, making FIPS compliance essential for environments handling classified or sensitive information.
Compliance assurance
FIPS certification confirms that data protection protocols adhere to U.S. federal standards, a prerequisite for many federal contracts and government-affiliated projects. Implementing FIPS-compliant components minimizes compliance risks, helping organizations maintain eligibility for federal engagements while ensuring that data protection standards are upheld.
Commitment to high-security standards
Beyond simply meeting compliance requirements, FIPS-ready solutions demonstrate a proactive commitment to rigorous security protocols. This approach not only strengthens the database’s security posture but also fosters trustworthiness and reliability, key factors in high-stakes environments where data integrity is crucial.
The FIPS-140 module is not available in MongoDB Community Edition but is included in MongoDB Enterprise Advanced, Atlas, and Percona Server for MongoDB.
Advanced backup and recovery features
In enterprise MongoDB environments, advanced backup, recovery, and high availability features are essential for protecting data integrity and ensuring continuous access, even in the face of accidental deletions, corruption, or system disruptions. These data management capabilities are crucial for safeguarding mission-critical information and maintaining seamless operations across the organization.
Automatic Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR)
Point-in-time recovery enables administrators to restore data to a specific moment, minimizing loss by returning to an exact state before an incident. This feature is essential in scenarios where recent changes need to be reversed without affecting stable data, supporting both data integrity and operational continuity. Automatic PITR is not available in MongoDB Community Edition but is available in MongoDB Ops Manager and Percona Backup for MongoDB.
Comprehensive backup options
Enterprise-level solutions offer both physical and incremental backups:
- Physical backups: Captures a full dataset snapshot, providing a robust foundation for rapid, complete restorations. This method is critical for high-volume databases, where fast recovery helps minimize downtime and maintain service availability.
- Incremental backups: Records only the changes made since the last backup, reducing storage use and recovery time. They allow for frequent data protection, preserving even minor updates with minimal resource impact.
Physical and incremental backups are not available in MongoDB Community Edition but are included in MongoDB Enterprise Advanced, Atlas, and Percona Server for MongoDB.
High availability and resilience
Advanced backup and recovery solutions enhance data resilience by ensuring databases can swiftly recover from disruptions without prolonged downtime. By supporting continuous access, these capabilities uphold high availability, which is essential for critical operations in sectors that rely on uninterrupted database performance.
Kubernetes and cloud-native security
Securing MongoDB within Kubernetes and cloud-native environments requires a focused approach due to the complexities introduced by containerized and dynamic infrastructures. These environments often distribute data across multiple containers, making secure communication, access management, and consistent data protection essential in an interconnected and frequently scaling setup.
Network isolation for enhanced data security
Network isolation is a fundamental security practice in Kubernetes environments. By strategically segmenting network traffic, organizations can prevent unauthorized access between containers, ensuring each one only communicates with permitted services. This compartmentalization of network flows is essential for protecting data integrity and minimizing vulnerability to external threats - a critical requirement in multi-tenant cloud deployments. Through network isolation, Kubernetes enables a "defense-in-depth" security approach, creating multiple layers of protection around sensitive data and services.
Strict access controls and Advanced Authentication
While the previously mentioned Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a key security feature across database environments, its importance is amplified in Kubernetes and cloud-native deployments, where multi-layered access control is essential. Robust RBAC policies, when combined with advanced authentication protocols like LDAP or Kerberos, ensure that each user and service is granted only the permissions necessary for their role. This principle of least privilege limits access points within dynamic, containerized environments, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and enhancing overall security.
Encryption for secure data transfer and storage
Encryption safeguards both data in transit and at rest within Kubernetes-managed MongoDB environments. SSL/TLS encryption protocols secure data as it moves between containers, while encrypted storage ensures that sensitive data remains protected, even if the storage medium is compromised. These practices are particularly important in sharded or replicated setups, where data frequently moves across nodes and containers.
Implementing these security practices allows organizations to leverage the scalability and flexibility of Kubernetes for MongoDB while maintaining strong data protection and regulatory compliance.
Monitoring and management
Comprehensive monitoring and management are a must for sustaining database security and operational reliability. Effective monitoring provides real-time insights, allowing teams to proactively detect and address security risks before they can escalate. This capability becomes even more essential in larger, more complex environments, where undetected vulnerabilities or inefficiencies are more likely.
Your MongoDB environment should have real-time query analytics to monitor database performance and detect abnormal activity patterns that could signal potential security threats. By continuously tracking and analyzing queries, administrators can uncover inefficiencies, optimize performance, and prevent slowdowns that compromise user experience and security. Automated alerts further reinforce security by promptly notifying administrators of unusual behavior, enabling immediate responses to issues that could disrupt service or jeopardize data integrity.
Routine health checks and system audits round out a strong monitoring strategy by supporting system integrity, maximizing uptime, and ensuring configurations adhere to best practices. Together, these practices reduce the risk of hidden vulnerabilities and enhance the resilience of MongoDB deployments.
Monitoring and alerting are not included in MongoDB Community Edition but are available in MongoDB Enterprise Advanced, Atlas, and Percona Server for MongoDB.
Achieving security and compliance with open source (and source-available) MongoDB tools
Maintaining security and compliance in MongoDB doesn’t require committing to costly proprietary solutions. While MongoDB's Enterprise Advanced and Atlas offer robust security features, they come with significant expenses and restrictive licensing agreements, raising the total cost of ownership and potentially limiting flexibility as organizations grow.
At Percona, we designed our open source and source-available MongoDB solutions to deliver enterprise-grade security, meeting the same rigorous standards as proprietary platforms—without restrictive costs or vendor lock-in. Percona provides organizations with flexible, comprehensive tools that comply fully with GDPR, SOX, PCI/DSS, HIPAA, and DORA EU standards, empowering regulated industries to maintain robust data protection and control.
Percona’s solutions give organizations full control over their software, data, and infrastructure, allowing for quick responses to security and compliance requirements. Trusted by government agencies, financial institutions, and Fortune 500 companies, Percona demonstrates that open source and source-available technology can meet the highest regulatory standards without the costs and restrictions of proprietary software.
Choose Percona for MongoDB for a secure, compliant, and scalable enterprise-grade solution.
Enterprise MongoDB security in action
Minsait partnered with Percona to migrate a Tier One telecom client from on-premises MongoDB Enterprise to Google Cloud. The goal? Achieve cloud scalability without the high costs and vendor lock-in of MongoDB Atlas.
Percona delivered an enterprise-grade solution with Percona Server for MongoDB and Percona Operator on Google Cloud, providing essential features like advanced backup and security without extra licensing fees. Percona’s Managed Services team worked closely with Minsait to ensure a smooth migration, initial maintenance, and knowledge transfer for ongoing success.
Key outcomes:
- Significant cost savings compared to alternative cloud database services.
- Control over future deployments with flexible, vendor-neutral infrastructure.
- Seamless handoff with Percona’s expert support and ongoing guidance.
For more details on this project, see the full Minsait Case Study.