Azure SQL DB must generate audit records when privileges/permissions are modified.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-255356	ASQL-00-013500	SV-255356r961800_rule		Medium

Description
Changes in the permissions, privileges, and roles granted to users and roles must be tracked. Without an audit trail, unauthorized elevation or restriction of privileges could go undetected. Elevated privileges give users access to information and functionality that they should not have; restricted privileges wrongly deny access to authorized users. In an SQL environment, modifying permissions is typically done via the GRANT, REVOKE, and DENY commands.

Description

Changes in the permissions, privileges, and roles granted to users and roles must be tracked. Without an audit trail, unauthorized elevation or restriction of privileges could go undetected. Elevated privileges give users access to information and functionality that they should not have; restricted privileges wrongly deny access to authorized users. In an SQL environment, modifying permissions is typically done via the GRANT, REVOKE, and DENY commands.

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

Details

Check Text ( C-59029r871192_chk )
Review Azure SQL Database configuration to verify that audit records are produced when privileges/permissions are modified. 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_OWNERSHIP_CHANGE_GROUP DATABASE_OBJECT_PERMISSION_CHANGE_GROUP DATABASE_OWNERSHIP_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-59029r871192_chk )

Review Azure SQL Database configuration to verify that audit records are produced when privileges/permissions are modified.

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_OWNERSHIP_CHANGE_GROUP
DATABASE_OBJECT_PERMISSION_CHANGE_GROUP
DATABASE_OWNERSHIP_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-58973r871193_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