neo4j-security-skill

// Neo4j auto-routes CREATE/ALTER/SHOW USER|ROLE|PRIVILEGE to system
// If using cypher-shell: cypher-shell -d system
// If using driver: use database="system"

CREATE USER alice SET PASSWORD 'secret' CHANGE NOT REQUIRED;
// CHANGE REQUIRED (default): forces password change on first login
// CHANGE NOT REQUIRED: password valid immediately
// SET STATUS ACTIVE (default) | SUSPENDED

CREATE USER $username SET PASSWORD $password CHANGE NOT REQUIRED;

ALTER USER alice SET PASSWORD $newPw CHANGE NOT REQUIRED;
ALTER USER alice SET STATUS SUSPENDED;          // lock account
ALTER USER alice SET STATUS ACTIVE;             // unlock
ALTER USER alice SET HOME DATABASE mydb;        // default db on connect
ALTER USER alice IF EXISTS SET PASSWORD $pw;    // safe if missing

CREATE USER jake SET PASSWORD $pw SET TAGS 'finance', 'auditor';
ALTER USER jake REMOVE TAG 'auditor' ADD TAG 'on-call';   // REMOVE before ADD before SET
ALTER USER jake SET TAGS 'finance', 'auditor';            // replaces all existing tags
ALTER USER jake REMOVE ALL TAGS;
ALTER USERS jake, alice ADD TAGS 'pii-access';            // bulk tag edit

GRANT SET USER METADATA ON DBMS TO userAdmin;
GRANT SHOW USER METADATA ON DBMS TO auditor;
GRANT USER METADATA MANAGEMENT ON DBMS TO userManager;   // both of the above

SHOW USERS YIELD user, roles, passwordChangeRequired, suspended, home
WHERE suspended = false
RETURN user, roles ORDER BY user;

// tags column returns null without SHOW USER METADATA [2026.06+]
SHOW USERS YIELD user, roles, tags;

// runnable CREATE USER commands for the whole DBMS [2026.09]
// requires SHOW USER + SHOW USER CREDENTIALS; tags omitted without SHOW USER METADATA
SHOW USERS AS COMMANDS;
SHOW USERS WITH AUTH AS COMMANDS;   // includes auth provider config + credentials

DROP USER alice IF EXISTS;

CREATE ROLE analyst;
CREATE ROLE analyst IF NOT EXISTS;
DROP ROLE analyst IF EXISTS;

GRANT ROLE analyst TO alice;
GRANT ROLE analyst, writer TO alice, bob;   // bulk
REVOKE ROLE analyst FROM alice;

SHOW ROLES YIELD role, member ORDER BY role;
SHOW ROLE analyst PRIVILEGES AS COMMANDS;   // returns runnable GRANT commands
SHOW POPULATED ROLES YIELD role;            // only roles with members

// runnable CREATE ROLE commands for the whole DBMS [2026.09]
SHOW ROLES AS COMMANDS;
SHOW ROLES WITH USERS AS COMMANDS;          // adds GRANT ROLE ... TO user
SHOW ROLES WITH AUTH RULES AS COMMANDS;     // adds GRANT ROLE ... TO AUTH RULE

// Analyst can read Person but NOT the ssn property
GRANT MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb NODES Person TO analyst;
DENY  READ {ssn} ON GRAPH mydb NODES Person TO analyst;

REVOKE GRANT READ {email} ON GRAPH mydb NODES Person FROM analyst;
REVOKE DENY  READ {ssn}   ON GRAPH mydb NODES Person FROM analyst;
REVOKE MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb NODES Person FROM analyst;  // removes both grant+deny

CREATE ROLE analyst IF NOT EXISTS;
GRANT ACCESS            ON DATABASE mydb TO analyst;
GRANT MATCH {*}         ON GRAPH mydb ELEMENTS * TO analyst;
GRANT EXECUTE PROCEDURE apoc.* TO analyst;

CREATE ROLE writer IF NOT EXISTS;
GRANT ACCESS  ON DATABASE mydb TO writer;
GRANT MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb ELEMENTS * TO writer;
GRANT WRITE   ON GRAPH mydb TO writer;

CREATE ROLE limited_reader IF NOT EXISTS;
GRANT ACCESS    ON DATABASE mydb TO limited_reader;
GRANT TRAVERSE  ON GRAPH mydb ELEMENTS * TO limited_reader;      // can traverse
GRANT MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb NODES Person TO limited_reader;    // Person props visible
GRANT MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb NODES Company TO limited_reader;   // Company props visible
// Other labels: traversable but properties invisible

CREATE ROLE dba IF NOT EXISTS;
GRANT ALL ON DBMS     TO dba;
GRANT ALL ON DATABASE * TO dba;

// Grant read on all Person props, then deny sensitive ones
GRANT MATCH {*}   ON GRAPH mydb NODES Person TO analyst;
DENY  READ {ssn, dateOfBirth} ON GRAPH mydb NODES Person TO analyst;

// Only see Person nodes where classification = 'public'
GRANT MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb
  FOR (n:Person) WHERE n.classification = 'public'
  TO analyst;

// Block access to classified nodes
DENY MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb
  FOR (n) WHERE n.classification <> 'UNCLASSIFIED'
  TO regularUsers;

// List-valued property contains a value [2026.08, Cypher 25]
GRANT MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb
  FOR (n) WHERE 'gold' IN n.clearanceLevels
  TO goldTier;
GRANT READ {*} ON GRAPH mydb FOR (n) WHERE 'EU' IN n.regions TO regularUsers;
GRANT MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb FOR (n) WHERE NOT 'EU' IN n.regions TO regularUsers;

// Property on the right-hand side of a comparison [2026.08, Cypher 25]
GRANT MATCH {*} ON GRAPH mydb
  FOR (n) WHERE 1 > n.level
  TO analyst;
GRANT READ {*} ON GRAPH mydb FOR (n) WHERE 3 < n.securityLevel TO regularUsers;

// Dynamic row-level security: property matches caller's native user tags [2026.10, Enterprise]
GRANT TRAVERSE ON GRAPH * FOR (n:Project) WHERE n.department IN abac.native.user_tags() TO projectTeam;

# neo4j.conf — providers must also appear in dbms.security.authorization_providers
dbms.security.abac.authorization_providers=<oidc-provider-alias>,native   # native [2026.06+]

CREATE AUTH RULE salesRule
  SET CONDITION abac.oidc.user_attribute('department') = 'sales';

GRANT ROLE analyst TO AUTH RULE salesRule;

CREATE OR REPLACE AUTH RULE seniorRule
  SET CONDITION abac.oidc.user_attribute('department') = 'engineering'
    AND abac.oidc.user_attribute('level') >= 5;

GRANT ROLE senior_engineer TO AUTH RULE seniorRule;

SHOW AUTH RULES YIELD ruleName, condition, roles;
ALTER AUTH RULE salesRule SET ENABLED false;     // disable without dropping
RENAME AUTH RULE salesRule TO salesDeptRule;
DROP AUTH RULE salesDeptRule;
REVOKE ROLE analyst FROM AUTH RULE salesRule;

CREATE AUTH RULE nativeSalesRule
  SET CONDITION 'sales' IN abac.native.user_tags();
GRANT ROLE analyst TO AUTH RULE nativeSalesRule;

// require several tags at once
CREATE AUTH RULE financeAuditRule
  SET CONDITION all(tag IN ['finance', 'auditor'] WHERE tag IN abac.native.user_tags());

// combine tags with OIDC claims and temporal conditions
CREATE AUTH RULE onCallRule
  SET CONDITION 'on-call' IN abac.native.user_tags()
    AND abac.oidc.user_attribute('department') = 'engineering'
    AND time.transaction('UTC').hour >= 9;

// All privileges in the system
SHOW PRIVILEGES YIELD *;

// Privileges for a specific user (as runnable commands)
SHOW USER alice PRIVILEGES AS COMMANDS;

// Privileges for a specific role
SHOW ROLE analyst PRIVILEGES YIELD privilege, action, resource, graph, segment;

// Privileges of roles granted to an auth rule [2026.09]
SHOW AUTH RULES salesRule PRIVILEGES AS COMMANDS;

// Find who has access to a database
SHOW PRIVILEGES YIELD *
WHERE graph = 'mydb'
RETURN role, action, resource, segment ORDER BY role;

// Find all DENY rules
SHOW PRIVILEGES YIELD *
WHERE access = 'DENIED'
RETURN role, action, resource, segment;

dbms.security.auth_enabled=true
dbms.security.auth_max_failed_attempts=3    # lockout threshold

dbms.security.auth_provider=ldap
dbms.security.ldap.host=ldap://ldap.example.com
dbms.security.ldap.authentication.mechanism=simple
dbms.security.ldap.authentication.user_dn_template=uid={0},ou=users,dc=example,dc=com
dbms.security.ldap.authorization.group_membership_attributes=memberOf
dbms.security.ldap.authorization.group_to_role_mapping=\
  "cn=analysts,ou=groups,dc=example,dc=com" = analyst;\
  "cn=admins,ou=groups,dc=example,dc=com"   = admin

dbms.security.oidc.<alias>.display_name=Okta
dbms.security.oidc.<alias>.auth_flow=pkce      # `implicit` deprecated 2026.06, removal planned — keep pkce
dbms.security.oidc.<alias>.well_known_discovery_uri=https://example.okta.com/.well-known/openid-configuration
dbms.security.oidc.<alias>.audience=neo4j
dbms.security.oidc.<alias>.claims.username=email
dbms.security.oidc.<alias>.claims.groups=groups
dbms.security.oidc.<alias>.authorization.group_to_role_mapping=\
  "neo4j-analysts" = analyst;\
  "neo4j-admins"   = admin