---
title: "Security Disclosure Recommendation: Rotate MySQL Database Credentials"
description: "Learn how to Security Disclosure Recommendation: Rotate MySQL Database Credentials"
date: 2026-10-22T00:46:35.357Z
authors: ["Mykal Machon"]
category: "Engineering"
url: https://blog.railway.com/p/security-disclosure-recommendation-rotate-mysql-database-credentials
---

# Security Disclosure Recommendation: Rotate MySQL Database Credentials

> This guide is part of Railway's response [to the security disclosure published on October 21, 2026](https://blog.railway.com/p/security-disclosure-wednesday-october-21st).

*If you use MySQL on Railway, regenerate its password, redeploy every service that uses it, and confirm nothing is still connecting with the old credential.*

If your MySQL password or `MYSQL_URL` may have been exposed, rotate your credentials. This guide applies if your database uses the Railway [MySQL template](https://docs.railway.com/databases/mysql). The fastest path is **Regenerate** in the Database View, which changes the password inside MySQL and updates the service variables in one step.

## Before you rotate

Three checks tell you how exposed the credential is and what you must update afterwards.

1. Find every consumer. Open the MySQL service's **Variables** tab. Services that use [reference variables](https://docs.railway.com/variables#referencing-another-services-variable) such as `${{ MySQL.MYSQL_URL }}` pick up the new password on their next deploy. Services with a pasted connection string don't, so note them.
2. Check public access. Open the MySQL service's **Settings** and find **Networking**. If **Public Access** is enabled, the credential is usable from anywhere through the [TCP proxy](https://docs.railway.com/networking/tcp-proxy) until you rotate. Remove public access now if nothing outside the project needs it.
3. List external consumers. Anything that uses `MYSQL_PUBLIC_URL` (local development, CI, BI tools) needs the new value pasted in by hand.

## Regenerate the password

Regenerate is the supported way to change a database password on Railway. It keeps the database and the variables in sync.

1. Open the MySQL service and click the **Database** tab, then **Config**.
2. In the **Connection** section, click **Regenerate** next to the password. Railway changes the password inside MySQL and updates `MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD`. In the template, `MYSQLPASSWORD`, `MYSQL_URL`, and `MYSQL_PUBLIC_URL` reference it, so they change too. See [Database View: Connection](https://docs.railway.com/databases/database-view#connection).
3. Railway restarts the database to apply the new password, so every open session drops, including any an attacker had open. Your services can't reconnect until you redeploy them in the next section. During an incident, that is the goal.

> ⚠️ Don't edit `MYSQLPASSWORD` or `MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD` by hand and don't run `ALTER USER` yourself. Each changes only one side and leaves the variable and the database out of sync. If that already happened, see [how to recover](https://docs.railway.com/databases/database-view#connection).

## Redeploy the services that use it

Containers read variables only at startup, so every service that uses the credential must be redeployed.

1. Redeploy every service that references the MySQL variables. Regenerate redeploys only the database, so these services keep the old password until you do.
2. If a service has a pasted connection string, replace it with the reference `${{ MySQL.MYSQL_URL }}` so the next rotation reaches it automatically, then deploy.
3. Optional: redeploy one service from the CLI with [`railway redeploy`](https://docs.railway.com/cli/redeploy).
   ```Shell
   railway redeploy --service api

   ```
4. Update external consumers with the new `MYSQL_PUBLIC_URL`.

## Verify the rotation

Confirm the new credential works and nothing is still connected with the old one.

1. Check each dependent service's deploy logs for a successful connection and no `Access denied for user` errors.
2. Open the **Database** tab and confirm the **Data** view loads tables.
3. Connect with the new credential using [`railway connect`](https://docs.railway.com/cli/connect).
   ```Shell
   railway connect MySQL

   ```
4. List open sessions. The restart dropped every session from before the rotation, so a session you don't recognize connected with the new password. Find out where it got it.
   ```SQL
   SELECT id, user, host, db, command, time, state
   FROM information_schema.processlist;

   ```
5. If you find sessions you don't recognize, kill them with `KILL <id>;`.

## Look for misuse

A rotated password stops future access. These checks show whether the old credential was used.

- Railway [audit logs](https://docs.railway.com/enterprise/audit-logs) show who viewed or changed variables on the MySQL service and when. [Retention depends on your plan](https://docs.railway.com/enterprise/audit-logs#audit-log-retention).
- The MySQL service's deploy logs include auth failures. Use the [log filter](https://docs.railway.com/observability/logs) to search for `Access denied` and for unfamiliar hosts.
- Inside MySQL, look for accounts you didn't create and for widened privileges.
  ```SQL
  SELECT user, host FROM mysql.user;
  SHOW GRANTS FOR 'root'@'%';

  ```
- Compare row counts and `UPDATE_TIME` in `information_schema.tables` against what you expect.
- If data was altered, preserve the evidence first, then use [point-in-time recovery](https://docs.railway.com/volumes/point-in-time-recovery) to restore to a moment before the exposure.

If you have any other questions, contact Railway support at <support@railway.com>.


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