SQL Server must prevent unauthorized and unintended information transfer via Instant File Initialization (IFI).

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-213976	SQL6-D0-009900	SV-213976r917655_rule		Medium

Description
The purpose of this control is to prevent information, including encrypted representations of information, produced by the actions of a prior user/role (or the actions of a process acting on behalf of a prior user/role) from being available to any current user/role (or current process) that obtains access to a shared system resource (e.g., registers, main memory, secondary storage) after the resource has been released back to the information system. Control of information in shared resources is also referred to as object reuse.

Description

The purpose of this control is to prevent information, including encrypted representations of information, produced by the actions of a prior user/role (or the actions of a process acting on behalf of a prior user/role) from being available to any current user/role (or current process) that obtains access to a shared system resource (e.g., registers, main memory, secondary storage) after the resource has been released back to the information system. Control of information in shared resources is also referred to as object reuse.

STIG	Date
MS SQL Server 2016 Instance Security Technical Implementation Guide	2024-01-24

Details

Check Text ( C-15193r313711_chk )
Review the system documentation to determine if Instant File Initialization (IFI) is required. If IFI is documented as required, this is not a finding. Review system configuration to determine whether IFI support has been enabled (by default in SQL Server 2016). Start >> Control Panel >> Administrative Tools >> Local Security Policy >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment If the SQL Service SID (Default instance: NT SERVICE\MSSQLSERVER. Named instance: NT SERVICE\MSSQL$InstanceName) has been granted "Perform volume maintenance tasks" Local Rights Assignment and if it is not documented in the system documentation, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-15193r313711_chk )

Review the system documentation to determine if Instant File Initialization (IFI) is required.

If IFI is documented as required, this is not a finding.

Review system configuration to determine whether IFI support has been enabled (by default in SQL Server 2016).

Start >> Control Panel >> Administrative Tools >> Local Security Policy >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment

If the SQL Service SID (Default instance: NT SERVICE\MSSQLSERVER. Named instance: NT SERVICE\MSSQL$InstanceName) has been granted "Perform volume maintenance tasks" Local Rights Assignment and if it is not documented in the system documentation, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-15191r313712_fix)
If IFI is not documented as being required, disable instant file initialization for the instance of SQL Server by removing the SQL Service SID and/or service account from the "Perform volume maintenance tasks" Local Rights Assignment.