Microsoft SQL Server feature Remote Access

Products

• Information Centric Analytics

Issue/Introduction

The Microsoft SQL Server feature Remote Access controls the execution of local stored procedures on remote servers or remote stored procedures on the local server and is enabled by default. This functionality can be abused to launch a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack on remote servers by off-loading query processing to a target. Is this feature required by Information Centric Analytics (ICA)?

Environment

Release : 6.x

Component : Microsoft SQL Server

Resolution

Microsoft SQL Server's Remote Access feature is neither required nor used by ICA and can be disabled.

Additional Information

Per Microsoft:

[T]he remote access configuration option [...] is a deprecated SQL Server to SQL Server communication feature.

Additional information about this feature is provided in the following Microsoft KB article:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/configure-windows/configure-the-remote-access-server-configuration-option?view=sql-server-ver16

NOTE: URL last validated June 28, 2023