SQL SERVER SA ACCOUNT HOW TO
SQL SERVER SA ACCOUNT INSTALL
SQL SERVER SA ACCOUNT PASSWORD

The public Server and Database RolesД®ach SQL Server instance contains the public fixed server role, and each database (including system databases) contains the public fixed database role. Certificates associated with certificate-mapped loginsДЇor the most part, you donвЂ™t have to worry about the logins, unless youвЂ™re involved in an audit or performing a security scan, in which case you might need to explain to the powers-that-be why these logins are showing up in your reports.

On my system, the statement returns the results shown in Figure 5, confirming that thereвЂ™s a certificate for each enabled login.ДЇigure 5. To retrieve a list of certificate-based logins, run the following query: You should not delete these or mess with them in any way.

The logins are certificate-mapped accounts used by the database engine for internal purposes. When poking around SQL Server, youвЂ™re likely to notice a set of server logins whose names start and end with double hash marks, as in #MS_PolicySigningCertificate#. Once theyвЂ™ve gotten into your databases, you might not be able to stop them until itвЂ™s too late. Because the login is so well known, itвЂ™s a frequent target for cybercriminals who have lots of tools at their disposal for cracking passwords. Also, consider renaming the login to provide another line of defense. Whenever possible, you should ensure that the sa login remains disabled. The error generated when trying to connect with the disabled sa login This time, you should receive an error similar to the one shown in Figure 3.ДЇigure 3. Next, launch a new query and again try connecting with the sa login, following the same steps outlined above. You can verify whether the sa login is disabled by querying the sys.server_principals system view, using a SELECT statement similar to the following: In fact, unless a connecting system absolutely requires the sa login, itвЂ™s best that the account remains disabled. Even if the login is enabled, you should avoid using it for your applications. If you select SQL Server Authentication during installation, the account will be enabled, but you must provide a password, so make sure itвЂ™s a strong one. If you then switch to SQL Server Authentication, the login remains disabled, and you must manually enable it.

SQL SERVER SA ACCOUNT PASSWORD

If you select Windows Authentication when installing SQL Server, the database engine assigns a random password to the account and automatically disables it. You cannot drop the sa login, but you can disable it. If the login were hacked, the attacker could do unlimited damage. ItвЂ™s automatically added as a member of the sysadmin fixed server role and, as such, has all permissions on that instance and can perform any activity. The sa login, short for system administrator, is one of the riskiest server-level principals in SQL Server. Regardless of which edition youвЂ™re using, you should understand how these built-in principals work before enabling them or modifying them in your production environments. I created the examples for this article on an instance of SQL Server 2017, but much of the information applies to SQL Server editions going back to 2014 or earlier. In this article, I dig into some of the more confusing built-in principals to help you better understand how they fit into the larger authentication picture. However, this can impact common database operations, so you must proceed cautiously if changing the default configuration. Unlike other fixed roles, you can modify their permissions. For example, SQL Server automatically adds the public server and database roles.

SQL SERVER SA ACCOUNT HOW TO

In some cases, itвЂ™s not always clear when and how to use these principals.

SQL SERVER SA ACCOUNT INSTALL

SQL Server provides a number of built-in principals that are added automatically when you install a SQL Server instance or create a database. The most common principals are server logins, server roles, database users, and database roles.

At their most basic, principals are server and database entities that can request access to SQL Server resources. In the previous articles in this series, I introduced you to SQL Server security principals and the part they play in authentication and authorization.

Introduction to SQL Server Security - Part 6.

Introduction to SQL Server Security - Part 5.

Introduction to SQL Server Security - Part 4.

Introduction to SQL Server Security - Part 3.

Introduction to SQL Server Security - Part 2.

Introduction to SQL Server Security - Part 1.

Introduction to SQL Server Security - Part 4 - Simple Talk

Sql server sa account