SQL Server must protect the confidentiality and integrity of all information at rest.

This control is intended to address the confidentiality and integrity of information at rest in non-mobile devices and covers user information and system information. Information at rest refers to the state of information when it is located on a secondary storage device (e.g., disk drive, tape drive) within an organizational information system. Applications and application users generate information throughout the course of their application use.

User data generated, as well as application-specific configuration data, needs to be protected. Organizations may choose to employ different mechanisms to achieve confidentiality and integrity protections, as appropriate.

If the confidentiality and integrity of SQL Server data is not protected, the data will be open to compromise and unauthorized modification.

Review system documentation to determine whether the system handles classified information. If the system does not handle classified information, the severity of this check should be downgraded to Category II.

If the application owner and Authorizing Official have determined that encryption of data at rest is required, ensure the data on secondary devices is encrypted.

If full-disk encryption is being used, this is not a finding.

If data encryption is required, ensure the data is encrypted before being put on the secondary device by executing:

SELECT d.name AS [Database Name], CASE e.encryption_state WHEN 0 THEN 'No database encryption key present, no encryption' WHEN 1 THEN 'Unencrypted' WHEN 2 THEN 'Encryption in progress' WHEN 3 THEN 'Encrypted' WHEN 4 THEN 'Key change in progress' WHEN 5 THEN 'Decryption in progress' WHEN 6 THEN 'Protection change in progress' END AS [Encryption State] FROM sys.dm_database_encryption_keys e RIGHT JOIN sys.databases d ON DB_NAME(e.database_id) = d.name WHERE d.name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb') ORDER BY [Database Name] ;

For each user database where encryption is required, verify that encryption is in effect. If not, this is a finding.

Verify that there are physical security measures, operating system access control lists and organizational controls appropriate to the sensitivity level of the data in the database(s). If not, this is a finding.

Apply appropriate controls to protect the confidentiality and integrity of data on a secondary device. Where encryption is required, this can be done by full-disk encryption or by database encryption.

To enable database encryption, create a master key, create a database encryption key, and protect it by using mechanisms tied to the master key, and then set encryption on.

Implement physical security measures, operating system access control lists and organizational controls appropriate to the sensitivity level of the data in the database(s).