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

From MS SQL Server 2016 Instance Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with: CCI-001199

SV-93913r1_rule The Service Master Key must be backed up, stored offline and off-site.

Vulnerability discussion

Backup and recovery of the Service Master Key may be critical to the complete recovery of the database. Creating this backup should be one of the first administrative actions performed on the server. Not having this key can lead to loss of data during recovery.

Check content

Review procedures for, and evidence of backup of, the Server Service Master Key in the System Security Plan. If the procedures or evidence does not exist, this is a finding. If the procedures do not indicate offline and off-site storage of the Service Master Key, this is a finding. If procedures do not indicate access restrictions to the Service Master Key backup, this is a finding.

Fix text

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.

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