SQL Server is a popular database management system that helps organizations store, manage, and analyze large amounts of data. With the rise of cyber attacks and data breaches, it’s crucial to harden your SQL Server to protect your data from unauthorized access and malicious activities. This SQL Server Hardening post will guide you through the first steps to harden your SQL Server and secure your database.
Install the Latest Updates and Patches
Keeping your SQL Server up to date is the first step towards hardening it. Microsoft releases security patches and updates regularly to fix vulnerabilities and improve the security of its products.Ensure protection for your SQL Server from the latest security threats by installing these updates. Utilize sqlserverbuilds to identify the SQL patch and the Instances that are on extended support or approaching EOL. Plan a migration for EOL servers properly by utilizing this data.
Select @@version Limit Access to Your SQL Server
Limiting access to your SQL Server is crucial to preventing unauthorized access and data breaches. This means granting only the minimum necessary privileges to users. And as circumstances change, regularly review and revoke access for those who no longer require it.
CREATE ROLE limited_access_role ;
GO
CREATE USER limited_access
FOR LOGIN limited_access
WITH DEFAULT_SCHEMA = dbo;
GO
EXEC sp_addrolemember 'limited_access_role', 'limited_access';
GO
GRANT SELECT, EXECUTE
ON SCHEMA::dbo
TO limited_access_role;Enable Authentication and Encryption
Enabling authentication and encryption is essential for protecting the confidentiality and integrity of your data. SQL Server supports several authentication methods, including Windows Authentication and SQL Server Authentication. Enable encryption using SSL or TLS encryption to prevent unauthorized access. Make sure to activate both authentication and encryption for maximum security.
Use Strong Passwords for Logins
Using strong passwords is critical for preventing unauthorized access to your SQL Server. Ensure that all passwords are at least 12 characters long and include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Change passwords regularly and never reuse the same password.
ALTER LOGIN [username]
WITH PASSWORD = 'new_password',
CHECK_POLICY = ON,
CHECK_EXPIRATION = ON;
GOMonitor Database Activity
Monitoring database activity is crucial for detecting and responding to security incidents. SQL Server includes several built-in features for monitoring database activity, including the SQL Server Audit and extended events along with SQL server profiler. Use these features to monitor your SQL Server and identify any potential security threats.
Encryption
SQL Server Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is a security feature. TDE is known as encryption at rest. Database files and backups are protected from unauthorized access using AES or 3DES algorithm. You can use SSL to encrypt data in transit. It is achieved by encrypting the SQL server using server level certificate provided by a certificate authority and then forcing your SQL service to use that certificate by binding it to the SQL server protocol properties.
In next step in the Flags tab of these properties set the force encryption to “True”.
Backup\DR strategy
We can handle 90% of the scenarios if we implement a sound backup and disaster recovery(DR) strategy. Regular backups and DR setup are not enough by themseleves. You must also regularly verify the backups and conduct a DR test to confirm the strategy’s effectiveness in case of an actual incident.
In conclusion, the hardening of your SQL Server is critical for safeguarding your data against unauthorized access and malicious activities. These are baby steps to help you move in right direction to start thinking about security of your database server.
Don’t wait, start hardening your SQL Server today.