Control: 4.1.4 Ensure that Microsoft Entra authentication is Configured for SQL Servers
Description
Use Microsoft Entra authentication for authentication with SQL Database to manage credentials in a single place.
Microsoft Entra authentication is a mechanism to connect to Microsoft Azure SQL Database and SQL Data Warehouse by using identities in Microsoft Entra ID directory. With Entra ID authentication, identities of database users and other Microsoft services can be managed in one central location. Central ID management provides a single place to manage database users and simplifies permission management.
- It provides an alternative to SQL Server authentication.
- Helps stop the proliferation of user identities across database servers.
- Allows password rotation in a single place.
- Customers can manage database permissions using external (AAD) groups.
- It can eliminate storing passwords by enabling integrated Windows authentication and other forms of authentication supported by Azure Active Directory.
- Entra ID authentication uses contained database users to authenticate identities at the database level.
- Entra ID supports token-based authentication for applications connecting to SQL Database.
- Entra ID authentication supports ADFS (domain federation) or native user/password authentication for a local Azure Active Directory without domain synchronization.
- Entra ID supports connections from SQL Server Management Studio that use Active Directory Universal Authentication, which includes Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). MFA includes strong authentication with a range of easy verification options — phone call, text message, smart cards with pin, or mobile app notification.
Remediation
From Azure Console
- Go to
SQL servers. - For each SQL server, click on
Microsoft Entra admin. - Click on
Set admin. - Select an admin.
- Click
Save.
From Azure CLI
az ad user show --id
For each Server, set AD Admin
az sql server ad-admin create --resource-group <resource group name> --server <server name> --display-name <display name> --object-id <object id of user>
Using PowerShell
For each Server, set AD Admin
Set-AzSqlServerActiveDirectoryAdministrator -ResourceGroupName <resource group name> -ServerName <server name> -DisplayName "<Display name of AD account to set as DB administrator>"
Default Value
Entra ID Authentication for SQL Database/Server is not enabled by default.
Usage
Run the control in your terminal:
powerpipe control run azure_compliance.control.cis_v210_4_1_4Snapshot and share results via Turbot Pipes:
powerpipe loginpowerpipe control run azure_compliance.control.cis_v210_4_1_4 --shareSQL
This control uses a named query:
sql_db_active_directory_admin_configured