Liberating the DBA from SQL Authentication with AD Groups

It's 15 years after the beginning of the century. Time to eliminate the security exposure of SQL logins, and implement integrated security. Active Directory Groups make this easy for the DBA.

SMKs, DMKs, Certificates for TDE and Encrypted Backups

This article details SMKs, DMKs and certificates in SQL Server as they relate to Transparent Data Encryption and Encrypted Backups.

Changing roles

MS15-058: Vulnerabilities in SQL Server could allow remote code execution

A vulnerability has been released that can affect SQL Server 2008, 208 R2, 2012, and 2014.

Grant User Access to All SQL Server Databases

Consider a situation when you have a large number of databases on your SQL Server, and you are requested to grant user access to all SQL Server databases. How can you grant access to a user for all databases on a SQL Server instance?

DBCC InputBuffer Permissions

Default Endpoint Encryption

How to Get SQL Server Security Horribly Wrong

It is no good doing some or most of the aspects of SQL Server security right. You have to get them all right, because any effective penetration of your security is likely to spell disaster. If you fail in any of the ways that Robert Sheldon lists and describes, then you can't assume that your data is secure, and things are likely to go horribly wrong.

Stairway to SQL Server Security Level 7: Security Across Databases with Cross-Database Ownership Chaining

Sometimes you need to reach outside a database and access data and objects from multiple databases, which raises some security issues and increases the complexity of data access. In this stairway level, you’ll learn about cross-database ownership chaining so that you can reach across database boundaries securely.

Secure Checks