Detections
Analytics

SQLI-22-003700 - SQL Server must integrate with an organization-level authentication/access mechanism providing account management and automation for all users, groups, roles, and any other principals.

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Information

Enterprise environments make account management for applications and databases challenging and complex. A manual process for account management functions adds the risk of a potential oversight or other error. Managing accounts for the same person in multiple places is inefficient and prone to problems with consistency and synchronization.

A comprehensive application account management process that includes automation helps to ensure that accounts designated as requiring attention are consistently and promptly addressed.

Examples include, but are not limited to, using automation to act on multiple accounts designated as inactive, suspended, or terminated, or by disabling accounts located in noncentralized account stores, such as multiple servers. Account management functions can also include assignment of group or role membership; identifying account type; specifying user access authorizations (i.e., privileges); account removal, update, or termination; and administrative alerts. The use of automated mechanisms can include, for example, using email or text messaging to notify account managers when users are terminated or transferred; using the information system to monitor account usage; and using automated telephone notification to report atypical system account usage.

SQL Server must be configured to automatically use organization-level account management functions, and these functions must immediately enforce the organization's current account policy.

Automation may be composed of differing technologies that when placed together contain an overall mechanism supporting an organization's automated account management requirements.

Solution

If mixed mode is required, document the need and justification; describe the measures taken to ensure the use of SQL Server authentication is kept to a minimum; describe the measures taken to safeguard passwords; and list or describe the SQL Logins used.

Documentation must be approved by the ISSO/ISSM.

If mixed mode is not required, disable it as follows:

1. In the SSMS Object Explorer, right-click on the server instance.
2. Select Properties >> Security page.
3. Click the radio button for "Windows Authentication Mode".
4. Click "OK".
5. Restart the SQL Server instance.

OR

Run the statement:

USE [master]
EXEC xp_instance_regwrite N'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE', N'Software\\Microsoft\\MSSQLServer\\MSSQLServer', N'LoginMode', REG_DWORD, 2
GO

Restart the SQL Server instance.

For each account being managed by SQL Server but not requiring it, drop or disable the SQL Login. Replace it with an appropriately configured account, as needed.

To drop or disable a login in the SSMS Object Explorer, navigate to "Security Logins".
Right-click on the login name and click "Delete" or "Disable".

To drop or disable a login by using a query:

USE master;
DROP LOGIN login_name;
ALTER LOGIN login_name DISABLE;

Dropping a login does not delete the equivalent database user(s). There may be more than one database containing a user mapped to the login. Drop the user(s) unless still needed.

To drop a user in the SSMS Object Explorer:
Navigate to Databases >> Security Users.
Right-click on the username.
Click "Delete".

To drop a user via a query:

USE database_name;
DROP USER <user_name>;

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/U_MS_SQL_Server_2022_Y25M06_STIG.zip

Item Details

References: CAT|I, CCI|CCI-000015, Rule-ID|SV-271265r1108933_rule, STIG-ID|SQLI-22-003700, Vuln-ID|V-271265

Plugin: MS_SQLDB

Control ID: 50099c1cb505a6e18a0d64f3dfe5c13784da46298626a1000b3bc9f7001cb395