By taking appropriate precautions, most of these breaches can be prevented or detected before they get out of hand. 1. Use a dedicated server for your database Host your database on a dedicated server. Whether it is local or in the cloud, spend the extra cash on a dedicated server to prevent security leaks and breaches. 2. Harden the Operating System On your dedicated server, the first step is to implement operating system hardening. Many hardening techniques exist. At a minimum, you need to: Change the default ports, as described below. Hide SQL instances from showing in the network, as described below. Allow only network protocols that are needed. CONNECT permission should be granted only on endpoints to logins that need to use them. If there is a need to work with SQL Login, install an SSL certificate from a trusted CA rather than SQL Server's self-signed certificates. Avoid the exposure of SQL Server to the public internet/intranet. Change default ...
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