Detections
Analytics

1.43 SQLI-22-010400

Information

SQL Server must prevent nonprivileged users from executing privileged functions, to include disabling, circumventing, or altering implemented security safeguards/countermeasures.

GROUP ID: V-271341
RULE ID: SV-271341r1111081

Preventing nonprivileged users from executing privileged functions mitigates the risk that unauthorized individuals or processes may gain unnecessary access to information or privileges.

System documentation should include a definition of the functionality considered privileged.

Depending on circumstances, privileged functions can include, for example, establishing accounts, performing system integrity checks, or administering cryptographic key management activities. Nonprivileged users are individuals that do not possess appropriate authorizations. Circumventing intrusion detection and prevention mechanisms or malicious code protection mechanisms are examples of privileged functions that require protection from nonprivileged users.

A privileged function in SQL Server/database context is any operation that modifies the structure of the database, its built-in logic, or its security settings. This would include all Data Definition Language (DDL) statements and all security-related statements. In an SQL environment, it encompasses, but is not necessarily limited to:
CREATEALTERDROPGRANTREVOKEDENY

There may also be Data Manipulation Language (DML) statements that, subject to context, should be regarded as privileged. Possible examples include:TRUNCATE TABLE;DELETE, orDELETE affecting more than n rows, for some n, orDELETE without a WHERE clause;

UPDATE orUPDATE affecting more than n rows, for some n, orUPDATE without a WHERE clause;

Any SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE to an application-defined security table executed by other than a security principal.

Depending on the capabilities of SQL Server and the design of the database and associated applications, the prevention of unauthorized use of privileged functions may be achieved by means of DBMS security features, database triggers, other mechanisms, or a combination of these.

NOTE: Nessus has provided the target output to assist in reviewing the benchmark to ensure target compliance.

Solution

Restrict the granting of permissions to server-level securables to only those authorized, most notably: members of sysadmin and securityadmin built-in instance-level roles, CONTROL SERVER permission, and use of the GRANT with GRANT permission.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/26144

Item Details

Category: ACCESS CONTROL

References: 800-53|AC-6(10), CAT|II, CCI|CCI-002235, Rule-ID|SV-271341r1111081_rule, STIG-ID|SQLI-22-010400, Vuln-ID|V-271341

Plugin: MS_SQLDB

Control ID: b2ebfefa1fa5d34d93049cc5bc1d727fc959d2f7b279e6da8c56f7d6a278fb7b