V-213767

Discussion

When dealing with change control issues, it should be noted, any changes to the hardware, software, and/or firmware components of SQL Server and/or application can potentially have significant effects on the overall security of the system. If SQL Server were to allow any user to make changes to software libraries, then those changes might be implemented without undergoing the appropriate testing and approvals that are part of a robust change management process. This requirement is contingent upon the language in which the application is programmed, as many application architectures in use today incorporate their software libraries into, and make them inseparable from, their compiled distributions, rendering them static and version-dependent. However, this requirement does apply to applications with software libraries accessible and configurable, as in the case of interpreted languages. Accordingly, only qualified and authorized individuals shall be allowed to obtain access to SQL Server components for purposes of initiating changes, including upgrades and modifications. Unmanaged changes that occur to the SQL Server software libraries or configuration, such as Functions, can lead to unauthorized or compromised installations.

Check Content

Check the SQL Server configuration for a timed job that automatically checks all system and user-defined Functions for being modified by running the following SQL Server query:
EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_help_job @job_name = '<enter . . . job name>';

(Alternatively, in SQL Server Management Studio, navigate to SQL Server Agent and examine the job from there.)

If a timed job or some other method is not implemented to check for Functions being modified, this is a finding.