Description:
Use Azure Active Directory Authentication for authentication with SQL Database to
manage credentials in a single place.
Rationale:
Azure Active Directory authentication is a mechanism to connect to Microsoft Azure
SQL Database and SQL Data Warehouse by using identities in Azure Active Directory
(Azure AD). With Azure AD 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.
• Azure AD authentication uses contained database users to authenticate identities
at the database level.
• Azure AD supports token-based authentication for applications connecting to
SQL Database.
• Azure AD authentication supports ADFS (domain federation) or native
user/password authentication for a local Azure Active Directory without domain
synchronization.
• Azure AD 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.
Impact:
This will create administrative overhead with user account and permission
management. For further security on these administrative accounts, you may want to
consider higher tiers of AAD which support features like Multi Factor Authentication, that
will cost more.
Audit:
From Azure Portal
1. Go to SQL servers
2. For each SQL server, click on Active Directory admin under the Settings
section
3. Ensure that a value has been set for Admin Name under the Azure Active
Directory admin section
From Azure CLI
To list SQL Server Admins on a specific server:
az sql server ad-admin list --resource-group <resource-group> --server
<server>From PowerShell
Print a list of all SQL Servers to find which one you want to audit
Get-AzSqlServerAudit a list of Administrators on a Specific Server
Get-AzSqlServerActiveDirectoryAdministrator -ResourceGroupName <resource
group name> -ServerName <server name>Ensure Output shows DisplayName set to AD account.
Remediation:
From Azure Portal
1. Go to SQL servers
2. For each SQL server, click on Active Directory admin
3. Click on Set admin
4. Select an admin
5. Click Save
From Azure CLI
az ad user show --idFor 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>From 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:
Azure Active Directory Authentication for SQL Database/Server is not enabled by
default
References:
1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-aadauthentication-configure
2. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-aadauthentication