Security Shepherd - Local Setup on Windows (No Docker)

Complete guide for running Security Shepherd locally on Windows without Docker.

Prerequisites Check

You already have:

✅ Maven 3.9.9
✅ Java 17 (OpenJDK Corretto)

You need to install:

⬜ MariaDB or MySQL
⬜ MongoDB
⬜ Apache Tomcat 9

Step 1: Install MariaDB

Download and Install

Download MariaDB:
- Go to: https://mariadb.org/download/
- Version: MariaDB 10.11 (LTS)
- Select: Windows x64
- Download the MSI installer
Run the installer:
- Launch the MSI file
- Click "Next" through the wizard
Important Configuration:
- When prompted for "Root Password", set it to: CowSaysMoo (this matches the default Security Shepherd config)
- Check "Use UTF8 as default server's character set"
- Check "Enable access from remote machines for 'root' user" (for localhost access)
- Install as Windows Service: ✅ Yes
- Service Name: MySQL (default)
- Click "Install"

Verify Installation: Open PowerShell and run:

# Check if MariaDB is running
Get-Service MySQL

# Test connection
mysql -u root -pCowSaysMoo -e "SELECT VERSION();"

Create Security Shepherd Databases

# Connect to MariaDB
mysql -u root -pCowSaysMoo

# In the MySQL prompt, run these commands:

-- Create the main core database
CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS core;

-- Create the SQL injection lesson database
CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS SqlInjLesson;

-- Create user and grant privileges
CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS 'shepherd3'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'CowSaysMoo';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON core.* TO 'shepherd3'@'localhost';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON SqlInjLesson.* TO 'shepherd3'@'localhost';

-- Create user for SQL injection lessons
CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS 'firstBloodyMessL'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'FirstBloodySomePassword';
GRANT SELECT ON SqlInjLesson.* TO 'firstBloodyMessL'@'localhost';

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

-- Verify databases
SHOW DATABASES;

-- Exit
EXIT;

Step 2: Install MongoDB

Download and Install

Download MongoDB:
- Go to: https://www.mongodb.com/try/download/community
- Version: MongoDB 7.0.x (Community Edition)
- Platform: Windows x64
- Package: MSI
Run the installer:
- Choose "Complete" installation
- Install MongoDB as a Service: ✅ Yes
- Service Name: MongoDB
- Data Directory: C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\7.0\data\
- Log Directory: C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\7.0\log\
- Click "Install"

Verify Installation:

# Check if MongoDB is running
Get-Service MongoDB

# Test connection (mongosh should be in PATH)
mongosh --eval "db.version()"

Create MongoDB Databases:

mongosh

In the MongoDB shell:

// Create NoSQL injection lesson database
use NoSqlInjection
db.createCollection("users")

// Insert sample data
db.users.insertMany([
  { username: "admin", password: "admin123", comment: "Administrator" },
  { username: "user1", password: "password", comment: "Regular user" }
])

// Verify
db.users.find()

// Exit
exit

Step 3: Install Apache Tomcat

Download and Install

Download Tomcat:
- Go to: https://tomcat.apache.org/download-90.cgi
- Version: Tomcat 9.0.x (latest)
- Download: "32-bit/64-bit Windows Service Installer" (.exe)
Run the installer:
- Click "Next" through the wizard
- Components: Select "Service Startup" and "Tomcat"
- Tomcat Administrator Login:
  - Username: admin
  - Password: Choose a secure password
- Port: 8080 (default)
- Install location: C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0
- Click "Install"

Verify Installation:

# Check if Tomcat is running
Get-Service Tomcat9

# Open browser to: http://localhost:8080
# You should see the Tomcat welcome page

Step 4: Configure Security Shepherd

Update Configuration Files

We need to configure Security Shepherd to use your local databases.

File: src/main/resources/database.properties

Create this file if it doesn't exist:

cd C:\Users\DuggSe01\SecurityShepherd-dev
New-Item -Path "src\main\resources\database.properties" -ItemType File -Force

Add this content:

# Core Database Configuration
core.jdbc.url=jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/core?useUnicode=true&characterEncoding=UTF-8&serverTimezone=UTC
core.jdbc.username=shepherd3
core.jdbc.password=CowSaysMoo
core.jdbc.driver=org.mariadb.jdbc.Driver

# SQL Injection Lesson Database
sqli.jdbc.url=jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/SqlInjLesson?useUnicode=true&characterEncoding=UTF-8&serverTimezone=UTC
sqli.jdbc.username=firstBloodyMessL
sqli.jdbc.password=FirstBloodySomePassword
sqli.jdbc.driver=org.mariadb.jdbc.Driver

# MongoDB Configuration
mongo.host=localhost
mongo.port=27017
mongo.db=NoSqlInjection

Step 5: Build Security Shepherd

Build the WAR File

cd C:\Users\DuggSe01\SecurityShepherd-dev

# Clean previous builds
mvn clean

# Build the WAR file (this takes 10-15 minutes first time)
mvn package -DskipTests

# The WAR file will be created at:
# target\owaspSecurityShepherd.war

Verify Build Success

# Check if WAR file exists
Test-Path target\owaspSecurityShepherd.war

# Check WAR file size (should be ~50-80 MB)
(Get-Item target\owaspSecurityShepherd.war).Length / 1MB

Step 6: Initialize Database Schema

Security Shepherd needs to initialize the database tables on first run.

Option A: Let Application Initialize (Recommended)

The application will automatically create tables on first deployment.

Option B: Manual Initialization (If needed)

If you want to pre-initialize the database:

# Look for SQL scripts in:
Get-ChildItem -Path src\main\resources\database -Recurse -Filter *.sql

Run the initialization scripts:

mysql -u root -pCowSaysMoo core < src\main\resources\database\coreSchema.sql
mysql -u root -pCowSaysMoo core < src\main\resources\database\moduleSchemas.sql

Step 7: Deploy to Tomcat

Deploy the WAR File

Option A: Copy to Tomcat webapps (Easiest)

# Stop Tomcat
Stop-Service Tomcat9

# Copy WAR file to Tomcat webapps directory
Copy-Item target\owaspSecurityShepherd.war -Destination "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\webapps\" -Force

# Start Tomcat
Start-Service Tomcat9

# Wait for deployment (30-60 seconds)
Start-Sleep -Seconds 60

Option B: Use Tomcat Manager (Alternative)

Open browser: http://localhost:8080/manager/html
Login with admin credentials
Scroll to "WAR file to deploy"
Click "Browse" and select target\owaspSecurityShepherd.war
Click "Deploy"

Step 8: Access Security Shepherd

Open the Application

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:8080/owaspSecurityShepherd/

Initial Login:
- Username: admin
- Password: password
You'll be prompted to:
- Change the admin password immediately
- Complete the setup wizard
Verify Everything Works:
- Try logging in with new password
- Navigate to a lesson
- Check that database connections work

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Can't connect to database"

Check database services:

Get-Service MySQL, MongoDB | Format-Table -AutoSize

If not running:

Start-Service MySQL
Start-Service MongoDB

Test database connections:

# Test MariaDB
mysql -u shepherd3 -pCowSaysMoo core -e "SELECT 1;"

# Test MongoDB
mongosh --eval "db.version()"

Issue: "Tomcat won't start"

Check Tomcat logs:

# View latest Tomcat logs
Get-Content "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\logs\catalina.*.log" -Tail 50

Common fixes:

Port 8080 already in use? Check with: netstat -ano | findstr :8080
Not enough memory? Increase Tomcat memory in bin\catalina.bat

Issue: "Application deployed but shows errors"

Check application logs:

# Security Shepherd logs
Get-Content "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\logs\localhost.*.log" -Tail 50

# Application-specific logs
Get-Content "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\webapps\owaspSecurityShepherd\WEB-INF\classes\log4j2.properties"

Issue: "WAR file deployment failed"

Verify prerequisites:

# Java version
java -version

# Maven version
mvn -version

# WAR file exists
Test-Path target\owaspSecurityShepherd.war

Rebuild cleanly:

mvn clean package -DskipTests -X

Issue: "Database tables not created"

Manually create schema:

# Find SQL scripts
Get-ChildItem -Path src\main\resources -Recurse -Filter "*.sql"

# Run initialization scripts
mysql -u root -pCowSaysMoo core < src\main\resources\database\coreSchema.sql

Common Commands

Start/Stop Services

# Start all services
Start-Service MySQL
Start-Service MongoDB
Start-Service Tomcat9

# Stop all services
Stop-Service Tomcat9
Stop-Service MongoDB
Stop-Service MySQL

# Check service status
Get-Service MySQL, MongoDB, Tomcat9 | Format-Table -AutoSize

Rebuild and Redeploy

# Stop Tomcat
Stop-Service Tomcat9

# Clean old deployment
Remove-Item "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\webapps\owaspSecurityShepherd*" -Recurse -Force

# Rebuild
cd C:\Users\DuggSe01\SecurityShepherd-dev
mvn clean package -DskipTests

# Deploy
Copy-Item target\owaspSecurityShepherd.war -Destination "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\webapps\" -Force

# Start Tomcat
Start-Service Tomcat9

View Logs in Real-time

# Watch Tomcat logs
Get-Content "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\logs\catalina.$(Get-Date -Format yyyy-MM-dd).log" -Wait -Tail 20

# Watch application logs
Get-Content "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\logs\localhost.$(Get-Date -Format yyyy-MM-dd).log" -Wait -Tail 20

Database Backups

# Backup MariaDB
mysqldump -u root -pCowSaysMoo --all-databases > "C:\Backups\shepherd_backup_$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd).sql"

# Backup MongoDB
mongodump --out "C:\Backups\mongodb_$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"

Performance Tuning

Increase Tomcat Memory

Edit: C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\bin\setenv.bat

Create if it doesn't exist:

@echo off
set CATALINA_OPTS=-Xms512m -Xmx2048m -XX:PermSize=256m -XX:MaxPermSize=512m

Optimize MariaDB

Edit: C:\Program Files\MariaDB 10.11\data\my.ini

Add under [mysqld]:

[mysqld]
max_connections=200
innodb_buffer_pool_size=256M
query_cache_size=32M

Restart MariaDB:

Restart-Service MySQL

Next Steps

Once Security Shepherd is running locally:

✅ Test the application thoroughly
✅ Try different lessons and modules
✅ Verify database connections are working
✅ Check for any errors in logs
✅ Test the connection leak issue (Issue #536)
🔧 Apply the database connection fix
🧪 Test the fix locally
🚀 Deploy to AWS

Uninstall / Cleanup

If you need to start fresh:

# Stop services
Stop-Service Tomcat9, MySQL, MongoDB

# Uninstall via Windows Settings > Apps
# - Apache Tomcat
# - MariaDB
# - MongoDB

# Remove data directories
Remove-Item "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation" -Recurse -Force
Remove-Item "C:\Program Files\MariaDB*" -Recurse -Force
Remove-Item "C:\Program Files\MongoDB" -Recurse -Force

Quick Reference

Application URL: http://localhost:8080/owaspSecurityShepherd/
Default Login: admin / password

Database Credentials:

MariaDB Root: root / CowSaysMoo
MariaDB App: shepherd3 / CowSaysMoo
MongoDB: No authentication (localhost only)

Service Names:

Tomcat: Tomcat9
MariaDB: MySQL
MongoDB: MongoDB

Important Paths:

Tomcat: C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\
WAR File: C:\Users\DuggSe01\SecurityShepherd-dev\target\owaspSecurityShepherd.war
Logs: C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 9.0\logs\

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Security Shepherd - Local Setup on Windows (No Docker)

Prerequisites Check

Step 1: Install MariaDB

Download and Install

Create Security Shepherd Databases

Step 2: Install MongoDB

Download and Install

Step 3: Install Apache Tomcat

Download and Install

Step 4: Configure Security Shepherd

Update Configuration Files

Step 5: Build Security Shepherd

Build the WAR File

Verify Build Success

Step 6: Initialize Database Schema

Option A: Let Application Initialize (Recommended)

Option B: Manual Initialization (If needed)

Step 7: Deploy to Tomcat

Deploy the WAR File

Step 8: Access Security Shepherd

Open the Application

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Can't connect to database"

Issue: "Tomcat won't start"

Issue: "Application deployed but shows errors"

Issue: "WAR file deployment failed"

Issue: "Database tables not created"

Common Commands

Start/Stop Services

Rebuild and Redeploy

View Logs in Real-time

Database Backups

Performance Tuning

Increase Tomcat Memory

Optimize MariaDB

Next Steps

Uninstall / Cleanup

Quick Reference