SQL4-00-024500 - The Service Master Key must be backed up, stored offline and off-site.

Information

Backup and recovery of the Service Master Key may be critical to the complete recovery of the database. Not having this key can lead to loss of data during recovery.

NOTE: Nessus has not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.

Solution

Document and implement procedures to safely back up and store the Service Master Key. Include in the procedures methods to establish evidence of backup and storage, and careful, restricted access and restoration of the Service Master Key. Also, include provisions to store the key off-site.

BACKUP SERVICE MASTER KEY TO FILE = 'path_to_file'
ENCRYPTION BY PASSWORD = 'password';

As this requires a password, take care to ensure it is not exposed to unauthorized persons or stored as plain text.

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_MS_SQL_Server_2014_Y24M07_STIG.zip

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROTECTION

References: 800-53|SC-28, CAT|II, CCI|CCI-001199, Rule-ID|SV-213857r961128_rule, STIG-ID|SQL4-00-024500, STIG-Legacy|SV-81877, STIG-Legacy|V-67387, Vuln-ID|V-213857

Plugin: MS_SQLDB

Control ID: 084d03b9fddba6e437dce8b2700166cbf362668ba5c05f5aa50aa022692548c9