UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Dear all,

Hello and Good Morning. I have a properties file in a specific directory in UNIX that can be accessed by certain users. This properties file is being used by a number of backend programs. The properties file contain the username and the password of the database as well. How do I design or create a more secure environment for this file? Is there a way to not show the existence of this physical file to the users, only with a certain command than the file is visible for editing purposes or are there other methods of securing this?

Thank you.

I assume that the properties file has to be read by the backend programs.

It all depends how the programs need to be run.

One solution is to make the back end program run as one particular user and make all the properties files owned by that user, and only readable/writeable by that user.

Then have a wrapper that uses ssh or sudo or similar to allow users to run the program if that is required.