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Loging (hacking) into SQL Server
If you have the ability to login to a Windows server where a SQL 2008 instance is installed, do you inherently have the ability to login to the SQL server also? Is there a way to hack into the SQL instance (if you lose the SA password, for example)?
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
Last Comment
BrandonGalderisi
Depends. By default, yes. If the DBA has any know-how, then no.
ASKER
How would you do it, exactly?
So, if you're an admin on the machine that SQL server is installed, there is a possibility that youre able to log into sql through windows administration.
Unless of course the local admin group was denied permissions. But, if I recall correctly, you start SQL from the command line in single user mode, it will always startup with the local admin group having SA privileges.
ASKER
This is just a default SQL 2008 instance. No one has done anything special to it. We lost the sa password. We can still login to the Windows server, but we cannot get into the SQL server via SSMS. If there is another way to get in, would you please give detailed procedure?
Are you an admin on the physical server (the builtin\administrators group)?
Use windows authentication to attach to the SQL Server as a user that has windows administrative privileges. That will log you in with sysAdmin privileges. From there, you can change the SA password.
ASKER
yes
Have you tried to log into the instance using windows authentication?
ASKER
I am a local admin on the Windows box. However, I cannot get into the SQL server via SSMS / Windows Authentication. SQL is denying me access. Do local Windows Admins have default access to SQL under SQL 2008?
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