SQL Server must enforce access control policies to restrict Alter server state permissions to only authorized roles.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-41303	SQL2-00-002300	SV-53785r3_rule		Medium

Description
The concept of least privilege must be applied to SQL Server processes, ensuring that the processes operate at privilege levels no higher than necessary to accomplish required organizational missions and/or functions. Organizations consider the creation of additional processes, roles, and SQL Server accounts as necessary to achieve least privilege. Organizations also apply least privilege concepts to the design, development, implementation, and operations of SQL Server and the OS. Unauthorized access to sensitive data or SQL Server control may compromise the confidentiality of personnel privacy, threaten national security, compromise a variety of other sensitive operations or lead to a loss of system control. Access controls are best managed by defining requirements based on distinct job functions and assigning access based on the job function assigned to the individual user. SQL Server's 'Alter server state' permission is a high server-level privilege that must only be granted to individual administration accounts through roles, and users who have access must require this privilege to accomplish the organizational missions and/or functions. If the 'Alter server state' permissions are granted to roles that are unauthorized to have this privilege, then this access must be removed. Additionally, the permission must not be denied to a role, because that could disable a user's legitimate access via another role. The fix for this vulnerability specifies the use of REVOKE. Be aware that revoking a permission that is currently denied to a role or user does not necessarily disable the permission. If the user or role can inherent the permission from another role, revoking the denied permission from the user or the first role can effectively enable the inherited permission.

Description

The concept of least privilege must be applied to SQL Server processes, ensuring that the processes operate at privilege levels no higher than necessary to accomplish required organizational missions and/or functions. Organizations consider the creation of additional processes, roles, and SQL Server accounts as necessary to achieve least privilege. Organizations also apply least privilege concepts to the design, development, implementation, and operations of SQL Server and the OS. Unauthorized access to sensitive data or SQL Server control may compromise the confidentiality of personnel privacy, threaten national security, compromise a variety of other sensitive operations or lead to a loss of system control. Access controls are best managed by defining requirements based on distinct job functions and assigning access based on the job function assigned to the individual user. SQL Server's 'Alter server state' permission is a high server-level privilege that must only be granted to individual administration accounts through roles, and users who have access must require this privilege to accomplish the organizational missions and/or functions. If the 'Alter server state' permissions are granted to roles that are unauthorized to have this privilege, then this access must be removed. Additionally, the permission must not be denied to a role, because that could disable a user's legitimate access via another role. The fix for this vulnerability specifies the use of REVOKE. Be aware that revoking a permission that is currently denied to a role or user does not necessarily disable the permission. If the user or role can inherent the permission from another role, revoking the denied permission from the user or the first role can effectively enable the inherited permission.

STIG	Date
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Database Instance Security Technical Implementation Guide	2018-02-27

Details

Check Text ( C-47871r3_chk )
Obtain the list of roles that are authorized for the SQL Server 'Alter server state' permission and what 'Grant', 'Grant With', and/or 'Deny' privilege is authorized. Obtain the list of roles with that permission by running the following query: SELECT who.name AS [Principal Name], who.type_desc AS [Principal Type], who.is_disabled AS [Principal Is Disabled], what.state_desc AS [Permission State], what.permission_name AS [Permission Name] FROM sys.server_permissions what INNER JOIN sys.server_principals who ON who.principal_id = what.grantee_principal_id WHERE what.permission_name = 'Alter server state' AND who.type_desc = 'SERVER_ROLE' ORDER BY who.name ; GO If any role has 'Grant', 'With Grant' or 'Deny' privileges on this permission and users with that role are not authorized to have the permission, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-47871r3_chk )

Obtain the list of roles that are authorized for the SQL Server 'Alter server state' permission and what 'Grant', 'Grant With', and/or 'Deny' privilege is authorized.

Obtain the list of roles with that permission by running the following query:

SELECT
who.name AS [Principal Name],
who.type_desc AS [Principal Type],
who.is_disabled AS [Principal Is Disabled],
what.state_desc AS [Permission State],
what.permission_name AS [Permission Name]
FROM
sys.server_permissions what
INNER JOIN sys.server_principals who
ON who.principal_id = what.grantee_principal_id
WHERE
what.permission_name = 'Alter server state'
AND who.type_desc = 'SERVER_ROLE'
ORDER BY
who.name
;
GO

If any role has 'Grant', 'With Grant' or 'Deny' privileges on this permission and users with that role are not authorized to have the permission, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-46694r2_fix)
Remove the 'Alter server state' permission access from the role that is not authorized by executing the following query: REVOKE Alter server state TO <'role name'>