Native Integrations

MySQL Database Log Monitoring with Log360

Overview

ManageEngine Log360 collects, parses, stores, analyzes, correlates, and archives MySQL database logs—including error logs, slow query logs, general query logs, and audit logs—for effective log management, real-time threat detection, performance optimization, and compliance auditing.

How Log360 collects and analyzes MySQL logs

Log360 offers a versatile and multifaceted approach to collecting MySQL database logs, accommodating various server configurations and administrative preferences through intelligent processing:

Collection methods:

Agentless collection:

Direct Log File Access: Log360 can securely pull logs by directly accessing the log files (e.g., mysql-error.log, slow-query.log) on the remote database server with the appropriate credentials.
Syslog Forwarding: For MySQL servers running on Linux, administrators can configure the system to forward MySQL logs via the standard syslog protocol to the Log360 server.

Agent-based Collection:

Lightweight Agent Deployment: For complex network topologies or when enhanced security and managed collection is preferred, a lightweight agent installed on the database server securely forwards log data to the central Log360 server.

Log360's intelligent parsing automatically identifies various MySQL log formats and extracts relevant fields regardless of the collection method. This allows organizations to choose the strategy that best aligns with their infrastructure and security policies.

Monitoring capabilities

Log360 collects and analyzes various types of MySQL logs:

Error Logs: Critical errors, server startup/shutdown events, and InnoDB issues.
Slow Query Logs: SQL statements that take longer than a defined time to execute.
General Query Logs: A comprehensive record of all connections and executed queries.
Audit Logs: User logins, DDL statements, and DML activity on sensitive data.

Critical MySQL Events Monitored

Log360 tracks essential MySQL database events including:

Database user authentication failures and successful logins from suspicious IPs
Privilege escalation activities (GRANT statements)
Unauthorized changes to database schema (CREATE, ALTER, DROP statements)
Mass data modifications or deletions (DML activity)
Queries that cause performance degradation (slow queries)
Database server errors, restarts, and replication failures
Blocked processes and database connection issues

Key benefits

Centralized Database Visibility: Monitor all your MySQL servers from a single console, providing a complete overview of database health, security, and performance.
Real-time Threat Detection: Instantly identify SQL injection attempts, unauthorized access, privilege abuse, and other security threats targeting your databases.
Performance Optimization: Proactively identify and analyze slow-running queries that degrade application performance, helping DBAs optimize database efficiency.
Compliance & Forensic Analytics: Leverage a complete audit trail of all database activity to meet compliance mandates (PCI DSS, GDPR, SOX) and accelerate forensic investigations.

Address key MySQL security challenges with Log360

The following table details common challenges and the solutions offered by Log360:

Challenges	Solution offered by Log360
Unauthorized Data Access	Monitors and alerts on all access to critical databases and tables, including privileged user activity, helping to detect unauthorized data access and potential data breaches.
Poor Database Performance	Identifies and analyzes slow-running SQL queries that degrade application performance. Helps DBAs pinpoint inefficient queries for optimization before they impact users.
Insider Threats & Privilege Abuse	Tracks all administrative actions, including changes to user privileges (GRANT/REVOKE), creation of new accounts, and modifications to database schemas (DDL), to detect privilege abuse.
Meeting Compliance Requirements	Provides a detailed audit trail of all database activities required for compliance. Helps generate reports for PCI DSS, SOX, and GDPR that show who accessed or modified sensitive data.
Database Errors & Availability	Monitors MySQL error logs in real-time to instantly detect server crashes, replication failures, and other critical errors, enabling a faster response to availability issues.