Cis GCP Foundations 6.7

6.7 Ensure That Cloud SQL Database Instances Are Configured With Automated Backups (Automated)

Profile Applicability

• Level 1

Description

It is recommended to have all SQL database instances set to enable automated backups.

Rationale

Backups provide a way to restore a Cloud SQL instance to recover lost data or recover from a problem with that instance. Automated backups need to be set for any instance that contains data that should be protected from loss or damage. This recommendation is applicable for SQL Server, PostgreSql, MySql generation 1 and MySql generation 2 instances.

Impact

Automated Backups will increase required size of storage and costs associated with it.

Audit

From Google Cloud Console

1. Go to the Cloud SQL Instances page in the Google Cloud Console by visiting https://console.cloud.google.com/sql/instances.
2. Click the instance name to open its instance details page.
3. Go to the Backups menu.
4. Ensure that Automated backups is set to Enabled and Backup time is mentioned.

From Google Cloud CLI

1. List all Cloud SQL database instances using the following command:

gcloud sql instances list --format=json | jq '. | map(select(.instanceType != "READ_REPLICA_INSTANCE")) | .[].name'

NOTE: gcloud command has been added with the filter to exclude read-replicas instances, as GCP do not provide Automated Backups for read-replica instances.

2. Ensure that the below command returns True for every Cloud SQL database instance.

gcloud sql instances describe <INSTANCE_NAME> --format="value('Enabled':settings.backupConfiguration.enabled)"

Remediation

From Google Cloud Console

1. Go to the Cloud SQL Instances page in the Google Cloud Console by visiting https://console.cloud.google.com/sql/instances.
2. Select the instance where the backups need to be configured.
3. Click Edit.
4. In the Backups section, check Enable automated backups, and choose a backup window.
5. Click Save.

From Google Cloud CLI

1. List all Cloud SQL database instances using the following command:

gcloud sql instances list --format=json | jq '. | map(select(.instanceType != "READ_REPLICA_INSTANCE")) | .[].name'

NOTE: gcloud command has been added with the filter to exclude read-replicas instances, as GCP do not provide Automated Backups for read-replica instances.

2. Enable Automated backups for every Cloud SQL database instance using the below command:

gcloud sql instances patch <INSTANCE_NAME> --backup-start-time <[HH:MM]>

The backup-start-time parameter is specified in 24-hour time, in the UTC+00 time zone, and specifies the start of a 4-hour backup window. Backups can start any time during the backup window.

Default Value

By default, automated backups are not configured for Cloud SQL instances.

References

1. https://cloud.google.com/sql/docs/mysql/backup-recovery/backups
2. https://cloud.google.com/sql/docs/postgres/backup-recovery/backups
3. https://cloud.google.com/sql/docs/sqlserver/backup-recovery/backups
4. https://cloud.google.com/sql/docs/mysql/backup-recovery/backing-up
5. https://cloud.google.com/sql/docs/postgres/backup-recovery/backing-up
6. https://cloud.google.com/sql/docs/sqlserver/backup-recovery/backing-up

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