Azure SQL DB must generate audit records when unsuccessful attempts to add privileges/permissions occur.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-255355	ASQL-00-013400	SV-255355r961800_rule		Medium

Description
Failed attempts to change the permissions, privileges, and roles granted to users and roles must be tracked. Without an audit trail, unauthorized attempts to elevate or restrict privileges could go undetected. In an Azure SQL Database environment, adding permissions is typically done via the GRANT command, or, in the negative, the DENY command. To aid in diagnosis, it is necessary to keep track of failed attempts in addition to the successful ones.

Description

Failed attempts to change the permissions, privileges, and roles granted to users and roles must be tracked. Without an audit trail, unauthorized attempts to elevate or restrict privileges could go undetected. In an Azure SQL Database environment, adding permissions is typically done via the GRANT command, or, in the negative, the DENY command. To aid in diagnosis, it is necessary to keep track of failed attempts in addition to the successful ones.

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

Details

Check Text ( C-59028r871189_chk )
Review Azure SQL Database configuration to verify that audit records are produced when unsuccessful attempts to add privileges/permissions occur. To determine if an audit is configured, execute the following script. Run this TSQL command to determine if SQL Auditing AuditActionGroups are configured: SELECT DISTINCT sd.audit_action_name FROM sys.database_audit_specification_details sd JOIN sys.database_audit_specifications s ON s.database_specification_id = sd.database_specification_id WHERE (name = 'SqlDbAuditing_ServerAuditSpec' /Server Audit/ OR name = 'SqlDbAuditing_AuditSpec') /Database Audit/ AND s.is_state_enabled = 1 ORDER BY sd.audit_action_name If no values exist for AuditActionGroup, this is a finding. Verify the following AuditActionGroup(s) are configured: DATABASE_OBJECT_PERMISSION_CHANGE_GROUP DATABASE_PERMISSION_CHANGE_GROUP DATABASE_ROLE_MEMBER_CHANGE_GROUP SCHEMA_OBJECT_OWNERSHIP_CHANGE_GROUP SCHEMA_OBJECT_PERMISSION_CHANGE_GROUP If any listed AuditActionGroups do not exist in the configuration, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-59028r871189_chk )

Review Azure SQL Database configuration to verify that audit records are produced when unsuccessful attempts to add privileges/permissions occur.

To determine if an audit is configured, execute the following script.
Run this TSQL command to determine if SQL Auditing AuditActionGroups are configured:
SELECT DISTINCT sd.audit_action_name
FROM sys.database_audit_specification_details sd
JOIN sys.database_audit_specifications s
ON s.database_specification_id = sd.database_specification_id
WHERE (name = 'SqlDbAuditing_ServerAuditSpec' /*Server Audit*/
OR name = 'SqlDbAuditing_AuditSpec') /*Database Audit*/
AND s.is_state_enabled = 1
ORDER BY sd.audit_action_name

If no values exist for AuditActionGroup, this is a finding.

Verify the following AuditActionGroup(s) are configured:
DATABASE_OBJECT_PERMISSION_CHANGE_GROUP
DATABASE_PERMISSION_CHANGE_GROUP
DATABASE_ROLE_MEMBER_CHANGE_GROUP
SCHEMA_OBJECT_OWNERSHIP_CHANGE_GROUP
SCHEMA_OBJECT_PERMISSION_CHANGE_GROUP

If any listed AuditActionGroups do not exist in the configuration, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-58972r871190_fix)
Deploy an Azure SQL Database audit. Refer to the supplemental file "AzureSQLDatabaseAudit.txt" PowerShell script. Reference: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/az.sql/set-azsqlserveraudit">https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/az.sql/set-azsqlserveraudit