Data security

Restrict data folder permissions

The data folder of MyQ Central Server contains highly sensitive data, including the user database and TLS certificate private key. Its current location is displayed in the MyQ Central Server Easy Config application:

Data folder properties in MyQ Easy Config

All users (local/domain) have read access by default:

Only Administrators, SYSTEM, and MyQ service account should have access to this directory. Here is a sample batch script that can be used for permission hardening:

@ECHO OFF

REM Add the virtual account SIDs to all MyQ Central Server services:
sc sidtype myqm_platform unrestricted
sc sidtype myqm_apache unrestricted
sc sidtype FirebirdServerMasterInstance unrestricted

REM Grant rights to the virtual service accounts:
icacls "%ProgramData%\MyQ Central Server" /grant:r "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(OI)(CI)F" /grant "BUILTIN\Administrators:(OI)(CI)F" /grant "NT SERVICE\myqm_platform:(OI)(CI)M" /grant "NT SERVICE\myqm_apache:(OI)(CI)M" /grant "NT SERVICE\FirebirdServerMasterInstance:(OI)(CI)M"
/inheritance:r /Q

Enable database encryption

When using the embedded database, always encrypt it using a custom certificate to lower the risk of data leaks:

Encrypting the database in MyQ Easy Config

The certificate needs to have the “Encrypting File System” Enhanced Key Usage (EKU) and it must be located in one of the following computer certificate stores:

Personal
Trusted Publishers
Third-Party Root Certification Authorities
Other people

The Personal store is the preferred one.

Encrypt backups

Database backups should be protected by secure, randomly generated passwords:

Encrypting data backup in MyQ Easy Config

Enable disk encryption

If possible, a full disk encryption technology like Microsoft BitLocker should be enabled on the MyQ Central Server to protect the data at rest: