Azure SQL Database must automatically terminate a user session after organization-defined conditions or trigger events requiring session disconnect.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-255340	ASQL-00-010200	SV-255340r961221_rule		Medium

Description
This addresses the termination of user-initiated logical sessions in contrast to the termination of network connections that are associated with communications sessions (i.e., network disconnect). A logical session (for local, network, and remote access) is initiated whenever a user (or process acting on behalf of a user) accesses an organizational information system. Such user sessions can be terminated (and thus terminate user access) without terminating network sessions. Session termination ends all processes associated with a user's logical session except those batch processes/jobs that are specifically created by the user (i.e., session owner) to continue after the session is terminated. Conditions or trigger events requiring automatic session termination can include, for example, organization-defined periods of user inactivity, targeted responses to certain types of incidents, and time-of-day restrictions on information system use. This capability is typically reserved for specific cases where the system owner, data owner, or organization requires additional assurance.

Description

This addresses the termination of user-initiated logical sessions in contrast to the termination of network connections that are associated with communications sessions (i.e., network disconnect). A logical session (for local, network, and remote access) is initiated whenever a user (or process acting on behalf of a user) accesses an organizational information system. Such user sessions can be terminated (and thus terminate user access) without terminating network sessions. Session termination ends all processes associated with a user's logical session except those batch processes/jobs that are specifically created by the user (i.e., session owner) to continue after the session is terminated. Conditions or trigger events requiring automatic session termination can include, for example, organization-defined periods of user inactivity, targeted responses to certain types of incidents, and time-of-day restrictions on information system use. This capability is typically reserved for specific cases where the system owner, data owner, or organization requires additional assurance.

STIG	Date
Microsoft Azure SQL Database Security Technical Implementation Guide	2024-06-10

Details

Check Text ( C-59013r871144_chk )
Review system documentation to obtain the organization's definition of circumstances requiring automatic session termination. If the documentation explicitly states that such termination is not required or is prohibited, this is not a finding. If the system owner, data owner, or organization requires additional assurance, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-58957r871145_fix)
Determine the situations when a user-initiated database session must be terminated. Note: The user running the commands shown below requires the KILL DATABASE CONNECTION permission. The server-level principal login has the KILL DATABASE CONNECTION. In the SQL Server Management Studio ,as an authenticated user connected to master database, run the following command to list all user sessions: SELECT c.session_id,host_name,program_name,nt_domain, login_name, connect_time, last_request_end_time FROM sys.dm_exec_sessions AS s JOIN sys.dm_exec_connections AS c ON s.session_id= c.session_id; https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/system-dynamic-management-views/sys-dm-exec-sessions-transact-sql?view=azuresqldb-current Example output: 76 MyComputer Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio - Transact-SQL IntelliSense NULL MyLogin 2022-08-26 20:08:38.170 2022-08-26 20:22:39.697 From the output identify the names of users whose session_ids should be terminated. Using the user for each session to be terminated, run the following command (still in SQL Server Management Studio). Example to terminate user "MyLogin" sessions from example output: KILL - where is the Session_ID of the session you want to terminate. Reference: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/t-sql/language-elements/kill-transact-sql?view=azuresqldb-current

Fix Text (F-58957r871145_fix)

Determine the situations when a user-initiated database session must be terminated.

Note: The user running the commands shown below requires the KILL DATABASE CONNECTION permission. The server-level principal login has the KILL DATABASE CONNECTION.

In the SQL Server Management Studio ,as an authenticated user connected to master database, run the following command to list all user sessions:

SELECT c.session_id,host_name,program_name,nt_domain, login_name, connect_time, last_request_end_time
FROM sys.dm_exec_sessions AS s
JOIN sys.dm_exec_connections AS c ON s.session_id= c.session_id;

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/system-dynamic-management-views/sys-dm-exec-sessions-transact-sql?view=azuresqldb-current

Example output:
76 MyComputer Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio - Transact-SQL IntelliSense NULL MyLogin 2022-08-26 20:08:38.170 2022-08-26 20:22:39.697

From the output identify the names of users whose session_ids should be terminated. Using the user for each session to be terminated, run the following command (still in SQL Server Management Studio).

Example to terminate user "MyLogin" sessions from example output:
KILL - where is the Session_ID of the session you want to terminate.

Reference:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/t-sql/language-elements/kill-transact-sql?view=azuresqldb-current