Voice of the DBA

Tag: security

  • Changing the sa Password with SQLCMD

    Another post for me that is simple and hopefully serves as an example for people trying to get blogging as #SQLNewBloggers.

    I wanted to make a quick note on changing the sa password, as this is a sensitive account, and the password should be changed if you ever suspect it is compromised. I’d also recommend you change this if anyone that knows the password leaves your group.

    I wrote about using SSMS, but that’s not always convenient. If you need to change this remotely, perhaps in a hurry, SQLCMD is a quick way to do this.

    SQLCMD is a command line tool, so open a command prompt.

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    Run SQLCMD and connect to your instance as a sysadmin. If you have any doubt, you can enter the query from my previous post to check your connection.

    Once you’ve connected, you can issue this code:

    ALTER LOGIN [sa] with PASSWORD = N‘Sup#rAmaz!ngP@$$w0rd’

    This is the code that will change the password for the login specified, even if I’ve logged in with a different account.

    Once I’ve done this, test the sa login from a new session and verify it works.

    SQLNewBlogger

    Make sure you know how to do this. It’s a basic skill, so learn it, blog about it, and use it where appropriate. Maybe write about why you’d do this in your own post.

    References

    SQLCMD – https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms162773.aspx

    ALTER LOGIN – https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189828.aspx

  • Crack that Encrypted Data

    Ransomware appears to be gaining some traction as a new trend. For awhile in my career, it was virus programs designed to send to all your contacts. Then it was infections to use your computer as part of a bot net. Now it’s encrypting your files and demanding a payment to get the password.

    I’m starting to think that a)I need to ensure I have solid, better backups on all devices, and b) I should pay attention and be aware of decryption programs. I’d love to say that I could build a decryption program, like someone did, but as much as I’m interesting in encryption and study it, that’s a little out of my skillset wheelhouse.

    I’m actually starting to think that this might be a way that people in communities, like the SQL Server community, can help each other. We can be aware of potential ransomware threats, like the one that hit this hospital, and potentially share ways to recover from the incident, or even decrypt the drives. In fact, I suspect it might be worth keeping a system handy to practice decryption techniques, if you can determine the attack vector.

    I’m sure many organizations wouldn’t want to share details of attacks and infections, but this is exactly the type of information that we, as data professionals, should be sharing. It’s incredibly difficult to keep up with all the threats and attacks, not to mention the techniques to recover systems. I’d urge all of you to ask your employers if you can at least help others, even if you can’t disclose how or where you gained the knowledge. If nothing else, the information needs to be shared more publicly to allow us to better protect our systems and be effective custodians of data.

    Steve Jones

    The Voice of the DBA Podcast

    Listen to the MP3 Audio ( 2.2MB) podcast or subscribe to the feed at iTunes and LibSyn.

  • Getting Started with Encryption in SQL Server 2016

    The release of SQL Server 2016 gives developers a number of ways in which they can securely encrypt and protect their data. In this introductory session, you will learn about the encryption options in SQL Server 2016, watching Always Encrypted, TDE, Row Level Security, Dynamic Data Masking, and server side column encryption can secure and protect your data from unauthorized users.

    Length: 60-75 minutes

    Code: Github

    Powerpoint deck: Getting Started with Encryption in SQL 2016.pptx

  • Changing the sa Password with SSMS–#SQLNewBlogger

    Another post for me that is simple and hopefully serves as an example for people trying to get blogging as #SQLNewBloggers.

    I wanted to make a quick note on changing the sa password, as this is a sensitive account, and the password should be changed if you ever suspect it is compromised. I’d also recommend you change this if anyone that knows the password leaves your group.

    Changing sa with SSMS is really simple. Follow these steps:

    Connect to SSMS as a sysadmin. You can check this for your login. Then expand the Security folder and the Logins folder. Right click the “sa” account and choose properties.

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    Once you do this, you’ll get the login properties dialog, and see the Password text field at the top in the General tab.

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    You can type a new password in the Password box, and confirm this in the Confirm Password box. Password policies checks are up to you, though I’d recommend you use them.

    Click OK and the password is changed. You can then connect a new query window as “sa” and verify your password.

    SQLNewBlogger

    Make sure you know how to do this. It’s a basic skill, so learn it, blog about it, and use it where appropriate. Maybe write about why you’d do this in your own post.