What does my SQL Server data look like over the wire?

How can I see what the outgoing and incoming traffic to my SQL Server instance looks like? Are there any tools that can help with this? Check out this tip to learn more.

How to secure temporary objects, metadata visibility, and audit assurance in SQL Server

This article, part of Fabiano Amorim’s complete guide to SQL Server security, explains and demonstrates where these three features commonly go wrong. Learn the the exact signs and queries to check for exposure – and the practical fixes that turn a theoretical risk into a closed gap.

The ##MS_DatabaseConnector## User

SQL Server 2025 Server-level Roles

Checking the Error Log III

The Hidden Security Risks of Role Combination in SSAS Tabular

See how security in SSAS tabular models might not work as you expect, and how you could easily fail an audit.

How a Microsoft-signed SQL Server stored procedure lets sysadmins bypass disabled xp_cmdshell

Discover how a Microsoft-signed system procedure bypasses SQL Server's disabled xp_cmdshell setting - plus detection and mitigation steps for defenders

Why SQL Server’s default trigger execution model is a security flaw – and what Microsoft should do about it

The situation raises a question I’ve been thinking for a while: why does SQL Server allow trigger code to inherit the privileges of whichever principal happens to fire it?

SQL Server login failures: how to monitor, report, and alert on them

This guide walks through how to pull login failure data using sys.xp_readerrorlog, filter it by time and error type, parse it into readable columns, aggregate repeat offenders, and automatically email a summary report — turning a passive log file into an active security and troubleshooting tool.

How Azure Arc allows a DB admin to become SQL Server sysadmin – the vulnerability explained

Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server is designed to bring on-premises and multi-cloud SQL Server instances under centralized Azure management, but a newly documented privilege escalation technique shows how that same management workflow can be turned against the server it’s meant to protect.