SQL4-00-032500 - SQL Server must prevent non-privileged users from executing privileged functionality, to include disabling, circumventing, or altering implemented security safeguards/countermeasures.

Information

Preventing non-privileged 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. Non-privileged 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 non-privileged users.

A privileged function in the DBMS/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 SQL Server, it encompasses, but is not necessarily limited to:
CREATE
ALTER
DROP
GRANT
REVOKE
DENY

There may also be Data Manipulation Language (DML) statements that, subject to context, should be regarded as privileged. Possible examples include:

TRUNCATE TABLE;
DELETE, or
DELETE affecting more than n rows, for some n, or
DELETE without a WHERE clause;

UPDATE or
UPDATE affecting more than n rows, for some n, or
UPDATE 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 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 not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.

Solution

Use REVOKE and/or DENY and/or ALTER SERVER ROLE ... DROP MEMBER ... statements to align EXECUTE permissions (and any other relevant permissions) with documented requirements.

Item Details

Audit Name: DISA STIG SQL Server 2014 Instance DB Audit v2r3

Category: ACCESS CONTROL

Plugin: MS_SQLDB

Control ID: 08613196a6a2e4e7e52a3304080e2e226edf06ce054cc268f783311e1590e2ed

Detections

Analytics

SQL4-00-032500 - SQL Server must prevent non-privileged users from executing privileged functionality, to include disabling, circumventing, or altering implemented security safeguards/countermeasures.

Information

Solution

See Also

Item Details