Cryptographic terminology can be sometimes somewhat “cryptic”. This post starts out a series to provide a glossary of cryptographic terms. Each post in this series will cover one cryptographic expression in detail.
SQL Server organizes database pages in groups of 8 called extents. An extent is the smallest unit that SQL Server will reserve on disk. However, smaller tables are still possible through mixed extents. Read on to get all the details.
While not perfect, the T-SQL function CRYPT_GEN_RANDOM() generates cryptographically secure random number values using the Windows Crypt-API. Read on to get all the details on how to use it and when to avoid it.
Ownership chaining is a powerful tool for permission management. However, in some situations it can be misused to gain unauthorized access to a securable. Read on to see this in action.
The ownership chain enables us to setup guarded access in SQL Server. Guarded access means to grant securable access only through a procedure or view. That module can then be used to enforce additional security requirements. Read on to see how the ownership chain makes this possible.