Detections
Analytics

SQL4-00-036200 - SQL Server must generate Trace or Audit records when privileges/permissions are modified via locally-defined security objects - Event ID 82

Information

Changes in the permissions, privileges, and roles granted to users and roles must be tracked. Without an audit trail, unauthorized elevation or restriction of privileges could go undetected. Elevated privileges give users access to information and functionality that they should not have; restricted privileges wrongly deny access to authorized users.

In SQL Server, there is no distinction between modification of permissions and granting or dropping them. However, native SQL Server security functionality may be supplemented with application-specific tables and logic, in which case the following actions on these tables and procedures/triggers/functions are also relevant:
UPDATE
EXECUTE

Use of SQL Server Audit is recommended. All features of SQL Server Audit are available in the Enterprise and Developer editions of SQL Server 2014. It is not available at the database level in other editions. For this or legacy reasons, the instance may be using SQL Server Trace for auditing, which remains an acceptable solution for the time being. Note, however, that Microsoft intends to remove most aspects of Trace at some point after SQL Server 2016.

Solution

Where SQL Server Trace is in use, define and enable a trace that captures all auditable events. The script provided in the supplemental file Trace.sql can be used to do this.

Add blocks of code to Trace.sql for each custom event class (integers in the range 82-91; the same event class may be used for all such triggers) used in these triggers.

Create triggers to raise a custom event on each locally-defined security table that requires tracking of Insert-Update-Delete operations. The examples provided in the supplemental file CustomTraceEvents.sql can serve as the basis for these.

Execute Trace.sql.

Where SQL Server Audit is in use, design and deploy a SQL Server Audit that captures all auditable events. The script provided in the supplemental file Audit.sql can be used for this.

Alternatively, to add the necessary data capture to an existing server audit specification, run the script:
USE [master];
GO
ALTER SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION <server_audit_specification_name> WITH (STATE = OFF);
GO
ALTER SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION <server_audit_specification_name> ADD (SCHEMA_OBJECT_ACCESS_GROUP);
GO
ALTER SERVER AUDIT SPECIFICATION <server_audit_specification_name> WITH (STATE = ON);
GO

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_MS_SQL_Server_2014_Y22M10_STIG.zip

Item Details

Category: AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

References: 800-53|AU-12c., CAT|II, CCI|CCI-000172, Rule-ID|SV-81907r2_rule, STIG-ID|SQL4-00-036200, Vuln-ID|V-67417

Plugin: MS_SQLDB

Control ID: 15cbdf55bde5a77d29f19ba45c85207c5e348f80a1fb0ed1306c3d0100ddab79