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-213976r961149_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. When Instant File Initialization (IFI) is in use, the deleted disk content is overwritten only as new data is written to the files. For this reason, the deleted content might be accessed by an unauthorized principal until some other data writes on that specific area of the data file.

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. When Instant File Initialization (IFI) is in use, the deleted disk content is overwritten only as new data is written to the files. For this reason, the deleted content might be accessed by an unauthorized principal until some other data writes on that specific area of the data file.

STIG	Date
MS SQL Server 2016 Instance Security Technical Implementation Guide	2024-06-12

Details

Check Text ( C-15193r951669_chk )
Review system configuration to determine whether IFI support has been enabled (by default in SQL Server 2016). Start >> Control Panel >> System and Security >> Administrative Tools >> Local Security Policy >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment >> Perform volume maintenance tasks The default SQL service account for a default instance is NT SERVICE\MSSQLSERVER or for a named instance is NT SERVICE\MSSQL$InstanceName. If the SQL service account or SQL service SID has been granted "Perform volume maintenance tasks" Local Rights Assignment, this means that Instant File Initialization (IFI) is enabled. Review the system documentation to determine if Instant File Initialization (IFI) is required. If IFI is enabled but not documented as required, this is a finding. If IFI is not enabled, this is not a finding.

Check Text ( C-15193r951669_chk )

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

Start >> Control Panel >> System and Security >> Administrative Tools >> Local Security Policy >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment >> Perform volume maintenance tasks

The default SQL service account for a default instance is NT SERVICE\MSSQLSERVER or for a named instance is NT SERVICE\MSSQL$InstanceName.

If the SQL service account or SQL service SID has been granted "Perform volume maintenance tasks" Local Rights Assignment, this means that Instant File Initialization (IFI) is enabled.

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

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

If IFI is not enabled, this is not 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.