SQL Server must be protected from unauthorized access by developers.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-41395	SQL2-00-009200	SV-53920r4_rule		Medium

Description
Applications employ the concept of least privilege for specific duties and information systems (including specific functions, ports, protocols, and services). The concept of least privilege is also applied to information system 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 information system accounts as necessary to achieve least privilege. Organizations also apply least privilege concepts to the design, development, implementation, and operations of information systems. Developers granted elevated database and/or operating system privileges on production databases can affect the operation and/or security of the database system. Operating system and database privileges assigned to developers on production systems should not be allowed.

Description

Applications employ the concept of least privilege for specific duties and information systems (including specific functions, ports, protocols, and services). The concept of least privilege is also applied to information system 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 information system accounts as necessary to achieve least privilege. Organizations also apply least privilege concepts to the design, development, implementation, and operations of information systems. Developers granted elevated database and/or operating system privileges on production databases can affect the operation and/or security of the database system. Operating system and database privileges assigned to developers on production systems should not be allowed.

STIG	Date
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Database Instance Security Technical Implementation Guide	2019-01-08

Details

Check Text ( C-47932r4_chk )
Check the list of SQL Server users against the list of developer accounts by running the following SQL Server query: SELECT name AS 'Account Name' , create_date AS 'Account Create Date' , LOGINPROPERTY(name, 'PasswordLastSetTime') AS 'Password Last Set on' FROM sys.server_principals WHERE NOT TYPE IN ('C', 'R', 'U') AND NOT name IN ('##MS_PolicyEventProcessingLogin##', '##MS_PolicyTsqlExecutionLogin##') AND sid <> CONVERT(VARBINARY(85), 0x01) -- no 'sa' account AND is_disabled <> 1 ORDER BY name; For each developer account found on a production machine, verify if the developer account can change or alter database objects or data in the production database. If any developer account can change or alter database objects or data in a production database, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-47932r4_chk )

Check the list of SQL Server users against the list of developer accounts by running the following SQL Server query:

SELECT name AS 'Account Name'
, create_date AS 'Account Create Date'
, LOGINPROPERTY(name, 'PasswordLastSetTime') AS 'Password Last Set on'
FROM sys.server_principals
WHERE NOT TYPE IN ('C', 'R', 'U')
AND NOT name IN ('##MS_PolicyEventProcessingLogin##', '##MS_PolicyTsqlExecutionLogin##')
AND sid <> CONVERT(VARBINARY(85), 0x01) -- no 'sa' account
AND is_disabled <> 1
ORDER BY name;

For each developer account found on a production machine, verify if the developer account can change or alter database objects or data in the production database. If any developer account can change or alter database objects or data in a production database, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-46820r3_fix)
Remove unnecessary developer accounts from SQL Server instances hosting only production databases, by running the following SQL script: USE master DROP LOGIN <'account name'>