Admin Rights for Everyone

Steve thinks administrator rights for too many people is a bad idea, but even when it's a limited group, he recommends some sort of governance.

How a SQL Server backup can execute attacker code during restore

CVE-2026-47295 is a SQL Server vulnerability that lets a maliciously crafted database backup execute attacker-controlled code with sysadmin privileges during a routine RESTORE DATABASE operation.

How SQL Server maintenance becomes an attack path – and what to do about it

The article covers four connected areas: over-privileged database users, msdb and SQL Server Agent exposure, privileged maintenance jobs, and trigger-based permission hijacking.

Symmetric Key Encryption

The “Successful Login” Dilemma: Why Your Login Auditing Strategy Might Be Hurting Your Server

From bloated error logs to risky logon triggers, a guide to auditing connections without killing performance.

Finding a Database Master Key

SQL Server Certificates

Why Your SQL Permissions Disappeared

When you change a schema owner in SQL Server, all object-level permissions vanish instantly. There is no warning. Here's how to prevent it and fix it when it happens.

Changing the Schema

Secure Communications