Detections
Analytics

SQL4-00-017100 - The SQL Server default account [sa] must be disabled.

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Information

SQL Server's [sa] account has special privileges required to administer the database. The [sa] account is a well-known SQL Server account and is likely to be targeted by attackers and thus more prone to providing unauthorized access to the database.

This [sa] default account is administrative and could lead to catastrophic consequences, including the complete loss of control over SQL Server.

If the [sa] default account is not disabled, an attacker might be able to gain access through the account. SQL Server by default, at installation, disables the [sa] account.

Some applications that run on SQL Server require the [sa] account to be enabled in order for the application to function properly. These applications that require the [sa] account to be enabled are usually legacy systems.

Solution

Modify the enabled flag of SQL Server's [sa] (system administrator) account by running the following script. If the account name has been changed per SQL4-00-010200, replace the letters 'sa' in the query with the new name.

USE master;
GO
ALTER LOGIN [sa] DISABLE;
GO

See Also

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

Item Details

References: CAT|II, CCI|CCI-000381, Rule-ID|SV-213848r395853_rule, STIG-ID|SQL4-00-017100, STIG-Legacy|SV-82343, STIG-Legacy|V-67853, Vuln-ID|V-213848

Plugin: MS_SQLDB

Control ID: 2cd6525439852b62577c54fd1c5c9c0c20687fa661218ba05a251897829d6712