MS SQL Server 2014 Database STIG

MS SQL Server 2014 Database Security Technical Implementation Guide

The MS SQL Server 2014 Database Security Technical Implementation Guide (V1 R7) has 43 STIG checks. New to STIG checklists? Read What is a STIG checklist?, CKL vs CKLB, and STIG vs SCAP benchmark.

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Severity

Version

V1 · R7

CurrentPublished Wed Jul 24 2024 What changed in V1R7

SQL Server must generate Trace or Audit records when successful accesses to designated objects occur.

MS SQL Server 2014 Database Security Technical Implementation Guide

Assessment Title

Rule Text

SQL Server must generate Trace or Audit records when successful accesses to designated objects occur.

Description

Discussion Text

Without tracking all or selected types of access to all or selected objects (tables, views, procedures, functions, etc.), it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident, or identify those responsible for one.

Types of access include, but are not necessarily limited to:
SELECT
INSERT
UPDATE
DELETE
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.

Trace does not offer tracking of SELECT operations, so where this is required it must be implemented at the application level.

New to STIG checklists? Read What is a STIG checklist? and CKL vs CKLB.

Objective

V-213804

Rule

SV-213804r961836_rule

Severity

medium

Rule Version

SQL4-00-038100

Documentable

false

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Rev 5

Assessment Procedure

Check Text

If neither SQL Server Audit nor SQL Server Trace is in use for audit purposes, this is a finding.

Obtain the list of objects (tables and stored procedures) where tracking of SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or EXECUTE actions is required.  If there are none, this is not a finding.

If SQL Server Trace is in use for audit purposes, review the application(s) using the database to verify that all SELECT actions on categorized data are being audited, and that the tracking records are written to the SQL Server Trace used for audit purposes.  If not, this is a finding.

Review the designated tables for the existence of triggers to raise a custom event on each Insert-Update-Delete operation.

If such triggers are not present, this is a finding.

Check to see that all required event classes are being audited.  From the query prompt:
SELECT * FROM sys.traces;

All currently defined traces for the SQL server instance will be listed. If no traces are returned, this is a finding.

Determine the trace(s) being used for the auditing requirement.
In the following, replace # with a trace ID being used for the auditing requirements.
From the query prompt:
SELECT DISTINCT(eventid) FROM sys.fn_trace_geteventinfo(#);

The following required event IDs should be among those listed; if not, this is a finding:

42  -- SP:Starting
43  -- SP:Completed
82-91  -- User-defined Event (at least one of these; 90 is used in the supplied script)
162 -- User error message

If SQL Server Audit is in use, verify that execution of all SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or EXECUTE actions on the designated objects, is audited,.

If any such actions are not audited, this is a finding.

If SQL Server Audit is in use, proceed as follows.

The basic SQL Server Audit configuration provided in the supplemental file Audit.sql uses the server-level audit action group SCHEMA_OBJECT_ACCESS_GROUP for this purpose.  SQL Server Audit's flexibility makes other techniques possible.  If an alternative technique is in use and demonstrated effective, this is not a finding.

Determine the name(s) of the server audit specification(s) in use.

To look at audits and audit specifications, in Management Studio's object explorer, expand 
<server name> >> Security >> Audits
and
<server name> >> Security >> Server Audit Specifications.
Also, 
<server name> >> Databases >> <database name> >> Security >> Database Audit Specifications.

Alternatively, review the contents of the system views with "audit" in their names.

Run the following to verify that all logons and connections are being audited:
USE [master];
GO
SELECT * FROM sys.server_audit_specification_details WHERE server_specification_id =
(SELECT server_specification_id FROM sys.server_audit_specifications WHERE [name] = '<server_audit_specification_name>')
AND audit_action_name = 'SCHEMA_OBJECT_ACCESS_GROUP';
GO

If no row is returned, this is a finding.

If the audited_result column is not "SUCCESS" or "SUCCESS AND FAILURE", this is a finding.

Implementation Procedure

Fix Text

Where SQL Server Trace is in use, implement tracking of SELECTs on designated tables at the application level, using the system stored procedure sp_trace_generateevent to write the tracking records to the Trace used for audit purposes.

Create triggers to raise a custom event on each 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.  

Add a block of code to the supplemental file 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.  

Ensure that Trace.sql includes blocks of code for event classes 42, 43, and 162.

Execute Trace.sql.

If SQL Server Audit is in use, design and deploy an Audit that captures all auditable events and data items.  The script provided in the supplemental file Audit.sql can be used as the basis for this.  Supplement the standard audit data as necessary, using Extended Events and/or triggers.

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

STIG check 41 of 43 in the MS SQL Server 2014 Database STIG checklist

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