Chapter 6 : Designing SQL Server Service-Level Security MCITP Administrator: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database Server Infrastructure Design Study Guide

Chapter 6 : Designing SQL Server Service-Level Security

MCITP Administrator: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database Server

Infrastructure Design Study Guide (70-443)

• Server Service Level security operates for the entire instance

• Includes– Logins– Authentication Mode– HTTP Endpoints – SQL Agent Roles– .NET Assemblies

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Logins

• Two kinds– Windows Logins

• Windows Users• Windows Groups

– SQL Logins

• Sa – special login


Server Roles

• Created on install

• Can’t be altered

• User minimum permissions needed to complete a job


Database Users

• Mapped to logins

• Can be mapped to certificates

• Security best applied to roles

• Guest user assigned to everyone

• Can be orphaned in restored databases


Schemas

• Schema replaces owner from SQL Server 2000

• Separates owner from schema for permissions

• Every object must belong to a schema

• Functions as a namespace


Database Roles

• Similar to server roles

• Fixed database roles created on install; cannot be altered

• Assign users to roles for specific jobs

• Datawriter and datareader can easily manage permissions but give permissions on every object


User-defined Roles

• Created by administrator

• Permissions custom to each role

• Best practice is to assign all users to roles and all rights to roles


Application Roles

• Permissions assigned to this role

• No users added

• Role is “invoked” by user and secured by a password

• Once invoked, permissions remain the same as long as the session is active.


DDL Triggers

• Similar to triggers in previous versions

• These operate on data definition statements (CREATE, DROP, etc).

• Best used for auditing changes to the schema

• Multiple triggers can be assigned to an event


DDL Triggers – cont’d

• Two scopes– Server level – logins, endpoints, other server

level objects– Database level – users and other database

level objects

• Events at each level are hierarchial• Can trigger on Event groups or Events• User EVENT DATA instead of inserted

and deleted tables


Database Level Encryption Policy

• Encrypt data– Discussed in other chapters

• Encrypt code for objects– Be sure objects are under source

control– Develop policy to ensure consistency


Securing Endpoints

• Multiple types of endpoints (SOAP, Database mirroring, Service Broker, etc.)

• Security can be applied just like other objects for users to limit access

• Dedicated Admin Connection is a different type of endpoint


Securing Endpoints – cont’d

• SOAP endpoints need to be secured– Variety of authentication methods can

be used– Can encrypt the protocol as well using

https

• Service Broker and Database Mirroring Endpoints– Need certificate to authenticate– Can be encrypted


SQL Server Agent Roles

• Three New Roles– SQLAgentUserRole– SQLAgentReaderRole– SQLAgentOperatorRole

• Allow delegation of job responsibilities to non-sysadmin users

• Limited to jobs and history• Proxies greatly expanded for many more

subsystems


.NET Assembly Security

• Created with any .NET language• Registered with Windows host• SAFE Permissions

– Limited to data access inside a SQL Server instance

• EXTERNAL_ACCESS– Allows access inside SQL instance,

Windows host file system, local registry, and web services


.NET Assembly Security – cont’d

• UNSAFE Permissions– Completely unrestricted– Can access memory buffers, legacy

COM components, etc.– Must be created by sysadmin– Be very careful before allowing

UNSAFE assemblies


Summary

• User best practices of assigning minimum permissions, especially with fixed roles (server or database)

• Use roles as much as possible• DDL Triggers are excellent for auditing• Secure endpoints – they are access

points into SQL Server• Use the lowest level of CLR permissions

required.


Documents

Chapter 6 : Designing SQL Server Service-Level Security MCITP Administrator: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database Server Infrastructure Design Study Guide