SQL Server Security Distilled [Paperback]

Morris Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

Securing SQL Server is one of the most important responsibilities of the SQL Server professional. Ensuring your data is safe requires a combination of good systems and database administration, and intelligent application design - weaving a security plan that matches the capabilities and vulnerabilities of each contributing part.

But at its root, security is concerned with controlling access - authenticating who can access the data on the server, authorizing what users can do with that data, and securing data as it is transported. These core topics are the focus of this book.

SQL Server Security Distilled shows you:

What you can do to secure date in SQL Server How SQL Server handles authentication and authorization in different versions How SQL Server security integrates with Windows security The security pros and cons of different transport protocols Ways to tailor SQL Server security to different applications, including client-server and Web applications How to secure DTS packages The implications of different types of replication for security The security features of SQL Server CE and its server-side agents

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Curlingstone is a new imprint providing practical information on all aspects of the technology, techniques, and job roles that form the database community. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Morris Lewis has been smitten with Structured Query Language since the first time his professor wrote SELECT * FROM AUTHORS on the chalkboard 14 years ago. He has worked with no other database server since he first installed SQL Server 4.21a on his 16MHZ, Intel 386 computer with all of the 32 megabytes of RAM running Windows NT 3.51 more than 8 years ago…

With the mantra "It is ok to worry if they really are out to get you," he has focused on all aspects of securing Windows and SQL Server since he connected his first server to the Internet, six years ago. Now, he runs a training and consulting company, Holistech Incorporated, that focuses on helping clients create better and more secure database applications, and on teaching them how to avoid the mistakes that can lead to problems in the future.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Apress (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590591925
• ISBN-13: 978-1590591925
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,768,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Note from the Author, April 15, 2003

By 

Morris L. (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SQL Server Security Distilled (Paperback)

I spent just under 2 years doing the research for this book. In terms of breadth of coverage, there is no better book on the market. Rather than searching Microsoft's mammoth site for articles and white papers, everything you need to understand SQL Server security from version 6.5 to 2000 is in one book.

This book also goes deeper than the basic introduction to the various security mechanisms. Many books will tell you what SQL Server offers, but very few provide detailed information on *how* and *why* it works the way it does. Each chapter provides insights into the inner workings of SQL Server's security architecture and provides practical advice on how to use that information to keep your systems safe.

There are some other books that focus on showing you "hackers' tricks" for attacking your database servers, but this book takes the premise that if you do things the right way from the beginning, no hacker is ever going to find a trick that works on your systems. As an example, this book recommended configuring firewalls to block the traffic used by the Spammer virus long before the virus became news. Those who read this book and followed its advice slept soundly the weekend that Spammer was taking the Internet down.

Since the future of Curlingstone is in doubt, support for the book has moved to www.,.,..com, and the author is not only committed to maintaining the current work but also planning to release an interim update in electronic format in the fall covering changes in SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3 and any new discoveries found since December, 2002. The author also plans to release additional chapters on Yukon early next year for early adopters. This book is alive and will be updated periodically to keep its readers safe from the bad guys.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Security Reference, January 6, 2003

By 

J. Steven Jones "Way0utWest in Denver" (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SQL Server Security Distilled (Paperback)

I've been working with SQL Server for 11 years and run SQL Server Central.

And I learned a bunch from this book. This is one of the best references on SQL Server Security that I have seen written and I recommend it highly to every SQL Server DBA.

The book is written to cover versions 6.5, 7.0, and 2000. And it does a great job with each. It starts by looking at the way that logins are authenticated by the server. Great detail is given, even to the point of examining network sniffer traces to show how the communication occurs between the client and server.

From there, the database security is examined with separate chapters for v6.5 and 7/2000 since they work differently. Not only is the process explained, but the author notes where there are bugs and unforseen consequences of assigning security in certain ways.

The early chapters provide insight into how security works in SQL Server. The later chapters build on this to give hints and suggestions for implementing security in your applications, DTS, replication, and even SQL Server CE.

Overall, this is a must read for SQL Server DBAs. Developers will benefit as well since a thorough understanding can solve a great many problems and prevent even more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, i wish there is one book for 2005, November 6, 2007

By 

Shanmugam Senthivel "Shan" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SQL Server Security Distilled (Paperback)

It is good book for 6.5, 7.0 and 2000. But it does not cover 2005 i think manily because it is old publication.

Still reading some more chapter, after that i will review my review!