Execution of software modules (to include stored procedures, functions, and triggers) with elevated privileges must be restricted to necessary cases only.
An XCCDF Rule
Description
<VulnDiscussion>In certain situations, to provide required functionality, a DBMS needs to execute internal logic (stored procedures, functions, triggers, etc.) and/or external code modules with elevated privileges. However, if the privileges required for execution are at a higher level than the privileges assigned to organizational users invoking the functionality applications/programs, those users are indirectly provided with greater privileges than assigned by organizations. Privilege elevation must be utilized only where necessary and protected from misuse. This calls for inspection of application source code, which will require collaboration with the application developers. It is recognized that in many cases, the database administrator (DBA) is organizationally separate from the application developers, and may have limited, if any, access to source code. Nevertheless, protections of this type are so important to the secure operation of databases that they must not be ignored. At a minimum, the DBA must attempt to obtain assurances from the development organization that this issue has been addressed, and must document what has been discovered.</VulnDiscussion><FalsePositives></FalsePositives><FalseNegatives></FalseNegatives><Documentable>false</Documentable><Mitigations></Mitigations><SeverityOverrideGuidance></SeverityOverrideGuidance><PotentialImpacts></PotentialImpacts><ThirdPartyTools></ThirdPartyTools><MitigationControl></MitigationControl><Responsibility></Responsibility><IAControls></IAControls>
- ID
- SV-220378r961359_rule
- Severity
- Medium
- References
- Updated
Remediation - Manual Procedure
Correcting issues with unnecessary elevated privileges, and access to or execution of system resources, is a two-step process.
Correcting custom code/module permissions:
When inserting custom code into a given Modules database, ensure those custom modules have the correct permissions applied by writing them to the database with the applicable/correct document permissions. The permissions should specify specific roles and permissions (i.e., read, update, execute)
Correcting User privileges: