V-213848

Discussion

SQL Server's [sa] account has special privileges required to administer the database. The [sa] account is a well-known SQL Server account and is likely to be targeted by attackers and thus more prone to providing unauthorized access to the database. This [sa] default account is administrative and could lead to catastrophic consequences, including the complete loss of control over SQL Server. If the [sa] default account is not disabled, an attacker might be able to gain access through the account. SQL Server by default, at installation, disables the [sa] account. Some applications that run on SQL Server require the [sa] account to be enabled in order for the application to function properly. These applications that require the [sa] account to be enabled are usually legacy systems.

Check Content

Check SQL Server settings to determine if the [sa] (system administrator) account has been disabled by executing the following query:

USE master;
GO
SELECT name, is_disabled
FROM sys.sql_logins
WHERE principal_id = 1;
GO

Verify that the "name" column contains the current name of the [sa] database server account (see note).

If the "is_disabled" column is not set to 1, this is a finding.

Note: If the [sa] account name has been changed per SQL4-00-010200, its new name should appear in the query results.