5 Reasons You Should Use SQL Audit to Enhance Database Security
We know better than to click a link from the son of an unfairly deposed Nigerian Prince who needs our help. Yet, according to Deloitte’s 2023 Global Risk Management Survey, 91% of all cyberattacks begin with a phishing email. And many of them are successful. No business or industry is off limits. So, it’s important for every organization to protect its data and take steps to enhance database security measures.
SQL Audit, a feature built into Microsoft SQL Server, can help.
What is SQL Audit?
SQL Audit is a security feature that’s built into SQL Server. It allows you to track and log events occurring within your database environment. You can use it to capture server-level and database-level actions such as login events, changes to data or schema, and changes to security role memberships.
Here are some key aspects.
- Auditing Scope: You can capture events at the database level or server level, depending on the level of granularity you need. Server-level audits capture events that occur at the server and across all databases on the server, while database-level audits focus on activities within a specific database.
- Event Types: SQL Audit provides a range of event types that you can choose to audit, including login attempts, schema changes, security role changes, and ownership changes to name but a few. You can even track data modification statements (such as INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) if you wish.
- Audit Output: You can log the audit information to a location of your choosing including the Windows Security log, an event log file, or the SQL Server Audit log file. You can review the logs using standard SQL Server tools or third-party tools for analysis and reporting.
Using SQL Audit to enhance database security
Now, let’s look at five reasons why you should consider using SQL Audit to up your security game.
1. Meet compliance requirements
Few people in cybersecurity are here just to “check the boxes” of compliance regulations. Most truly want to protect their data assets and the company’s reputation. And maintaining compliance and industry regulations is an important path toward better security. When done right, it can help reduce the risk of data breaches.
You can use SQL Audit to track events, implement security controls, and generate audit reports that demonstrate compliance.
2. Identify security breaches
Detecting unauthorized access and potential security breaches in a timely manner is vital for protecting your sensitive data. The sooner you can detect a potential breach, the better, and the faster you can respond.
SQL Audit gives you the ability to monitor login attempts, failed logins, changes to security role membership, and other suspicious activities. By reviewing the audit logs, you can identify and investigate unexpected activity, helping you to respond quicker, and mitigate potential security threats.
3. Track changes to data, schema, and permissions
SQL Server has robust security capabilities. It has to. Yet, out of the box, it’s limited in what it can provide about historical changes.
With SQL Audit, you can track changes made to your database, including data modifications, schema alterations, and role membership changes. With this level of visibility, you can monitor and track who made specific changes and when the changes occurred. Tracking these changes not only helps with troubleshooting data issues but also enhances the integrity and accountability of your database environment.
4. Enhance forensic analysis
If there is a security incident or data breach, SQL Audit logs may be able to help provide valuable forensic evidence. The detailed audit trail enables you to perform thorough investigations, reconstruct activities, and determine the scope and impact of the incident. This information can assist in identifying the root cause and help prevent similar incidents in the future.
5. Maintain trust and accountability
If you’ve ever worked in an environment without good auditing practices, source code control measures, or data security models, you know how counterproductive and even disruptive it can be. Mistakes happen, yet we never know what really happened and what could be done to prevent them in the future.
With SQL Audit, you can promote transparency and ensure that actions taken within your database environment are traceable and auditable. This fosters a culture of trust and accountability within your organization, and instills confidence among stakeholders, clients, and regulators.
Additional resources
Want to learn more about securing your SQL landscape? Here are some resources and articles that can help get you started.
- SQL Server Security Best Practices
- Protecting SQL Server from Ransomware
- DB#JAMMER is Targeting Poorly Secured SQL Servers
- Securing Your SQL Servers, What Should You Audit?
- Who Has sysadmin Access to your SQL Servers?
For more information about enhancing database security with SQL Audit
SQL Audit can help strengthen your security posture, protect sensitive data, and build a foundation of trust and accountability within your organization.
But SQL Audit is not turned on by default. You must determine what’s important for you to track, configure SQL Audit to capture those events, and create a mechanism for providing visibility.
If you’d like some help, schedule a call and let’s talk. We’ll share how we’ve helped clients improve their security posture using SQL Audit.