

In the Server Properties window, click Security under Select a page.ĥ. In the Object Explorer panel on the left, right-click your SQL Server instance at the top and select Properties from the menu.Ĥ. In the Connect to Server dialog, make sure that Server type is set to Database Engine and then click Connect.ģ. Connect to the database engine for which you want to enable C2 auditing.
#SERVER USER ACTIVITY AUDIT HOW TO#
Here’s how to enable C2 auditing in SQL Server 2017:ġ. But it can cause performance issues if your server isn’t sufficiently spec’d to cope with the extra overhead. It was developed by the European Union and can be enabled in Enterprise and Datacenter editions of SQL Server 2008 R2 and later. SysAdmin Magazine Special Edition: SQL Server Security and OrderĬommon Criteria Compliance is a newer standard that supersedes C2 auditing. Furthermore, C2 auditing is in maintenance mode, so it will likely be removed in a future version of SQL Server. But it is all or nothing - you can’t choose what it audits, and it can generate a lot of data. It audits events like user logins, stored procedures, and the creation and removal of objects. C2 auditing is an internationally accepted standard that can be turned on in SQL Server. If you aren’t currently auditing your SQL Server, the easiest place to start is by enabling C2 auditing. Enabling C2 Auditing and Common Criteria Compliance We will not be looking at any third-party auditing tools, though they can be of great help, especially for larger environments and in regulated industries. This article is for database administrators (DBAs) who are looking at using C2 auditing, Common Compliance Criteria and SQL Server Auditing. Next, you have choose which security auditing features to use. For example, you might audit user logins, server configuration, schema changes and audit data modifications. The first step is to define what to audit.
