# Power SQL Security Assessment > SQL Server security assessment created by Fabiano Amorim, Microsoft Data Platform MVP. 230 checks per instance, expert analysis with no false positives, a prioritized remediation plan and a guarantee: if we find nothing relevant, you don't pay. **EVERY environment we have tested had vulnerabilities.** Shall we test yours? Every environment we assessed had problems. In yours, all that is missing is a look. 230 security checks on each SQL Server instance, reviewed one by one by experts, with a clear plan to lock down your environment. Developed by **Fabiano Amorim**, Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Most Valuable Researcher 2026. - URL: https://powersqlsecurity.com/en/ - Language: [Português](https://powersqlsecurity.com/index.md) · [English](https://powersqlsecurity.com/en/index.md) · [Español](https://powersqlsecurity.com/es/index.md) - Book a meeting: https://powertuning.com.br/en/commercial-meeting.html - WhatsApp: https://wa.me/552734413060 - Markdown version of the Power SQL Security Assessment page, for LLMs and AI tools. - **100%** of the environments assessed by Power Tuning had vulnerabilities - **230** security checks on each instance - **17** SQL Server CVEs reported by Fabiano and fixed by Microsoft - **119** vulnerabilities reported to the largest cloud providers ## You granted read access. They get everything. An access that looks harmless can be the way in to full control of your database. That is exactly the kind of path the Power SQL Security Assessment finds before an attacker does. - **You granted:** SELECT, read-only. So a partner, an employee or an application can query data. (`GRANT SELECT ON SCHEMA::dbo TO [partner];`) - **What they can actually do:** SYSADMIN. Full control of SQL Server. - Read, change and delete any data - Drop entire databases - Access payroll tables and critical information - Change data without leaving a trace (balances, amounts, records) - Turn off auditing and erase the logs, hiding the attack - Read the backup paths and try to delete them - Move to other servers across the network - Reach the server's operating system For some of these flaws, **there is still no published fix**. Applying the latest patch is not enough. Your environment needs a close look. ## Fabiano Amorim: Chief Technology Advisor at Power Tuning A national and international SQL Server reference, Fabiano leads Power Tuning's data security practice. The assessment methodology was born from his research into how databases are actually breached. - **Sysadmin on the 4 largest clouds:** Demonstrated privilege escalation paths up to sysadmin on the managed SQL Server of Azure, AWS, GCP and Alibaba. - **Most Valuable Researcher 2026:** Recognized for security research. - **Microsoft Data Platform MVP since 2011:** More than 15 years of continuous recognition by Microsoft. - **International speaker:** WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2026 (North America and Europe), SQLBits and community events. - **Technical author:** Articles on SQL Server internals published on Simple Talk (Redgate) and an e-book by the same publisher. "Hacking MSSQL on Cloud. All of them. How I became sysadmin on Azure, AWS, GCP and Alibaba" (Talk presented at the WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2026) ## A method so critical that we keep it in absolute secrecy Among the 230 checks, one verifies whether someone with limited access can take full control of your SQL Server. If your environment is exposed, you find out and get the plan to protect it. The step-by-step of the attack is never written down anywhere. **Why so careful:** If this method leaked, it would become a weapon against any company running SQL Server in the world. That is why it never goes into the report, the email or the presentation. - **Checked in every assessment:** Part of the 230 checks applied to each instance. - **Need-to-know only:** You know whether you are exposed and how to protect yourself, with no record of the attack path. - **Guided remediation:** The mitigation plan is defined with your team and supported by mentoring during the project. That is the level of responsibility you want from whoever looks at your database. ## 230 checks on each instance This is not a quick automated checklist. Each instance is assessed in depth, covering configuration, permissions and the T-SQL code running in your environment. - 176 configuration and permission checks - 54 T-SQL code analysis rules - 10 security categories covered | # | Categoria / Category | | ---: | --- | | 57 | Authentication and authorization | | 26 | Attack surface reduction | | 22 | Data protection | | 18 | Auditing and logging | | 15 | Environment inventory | | 10 | Backup and recovery | | 10 | Resource usage | | 8 | Network security | | 7 | Host security | | 3 | Installation, updates and patches | Number of configuration and permission checks in each category. ## The problems we found A real example from an assessed environment. Every finding comes with **severity, evidence and a recommendation**, so your team knows exactly what to do. - 48 findings: 2 critical, 12 high, 16 medium and 18 low - Authentication and authorization: 18 - Auditing and logging: 7 - Attack surface reduction: 7 - Data protection: 5 - Network security: 4 - Backup and recovery: 3 - Host security: 2 - Installation, updates and patches: 2 ## From data collection to presentation in 2 to 3 weeks 2 to 3 weeks per instance. Most of the time goes into the expert analysis of the results, not into generating the report. 1. **Preparation and collection** (2 days): Environment scan 2. **Results analysis** (1 to 2 weeks): Validation, severity and risk 3. **Action planning** (3 days): What to do and in what order 4. **Presentation** (1 day): To your team ## The assessment deliverables - **Full scan with the Power SQL Security tool:** 230 checks run on each instance. - **Expert analysis of every finding:** Human validation, no false positives. - **Severity rating:** From critical to low, so you know where to start. - **Reports for every audience:** Interactive HTML, detailed Excel and an executive PDF for the C-level. - **Prioritized remediation plan:** From quick wins to structural actions. - **Presentation to your technical team:** Results explained in a workshop format. ## Your team asks questions directly to ours Throughout the project, your DBA and infrastructure team can ask our technical team anything about SQL Server security, through a WhatsApp or Teams group, with unlimited questions. - Permissions and access - Environment hardening - Best practices - Questions about findings And the results presentation becomes a **security workshop**: your team learns along the way and comes out stronger, on top of receiving the diagnosis. ## The flaws Fabiano found at the largest cloud providers in the world Environments protected by some of the biggest security teams on the planet. Even so, Fabiano Amorim found and reported SQL Server vulnerabilities at **every one** of them. Several of these reports earned **bug bounty rewards** paid by the providers themselves. - **119** vulnerabilities reported to 5 cloud providers - Azure (SQL Server and Azure): 58 - Google Cloud (Cloud SQL): 22 - AWS (RDS): 26 - Alibaba Cloud (RDS): 9 - Brazilian SQL cloud (Local provider): 4 Whoever finds flaws at the world's largest providers is **who you want looking at your environment**. It is far better to discover the gaps in a controlled assessment, with a report and a remediation plan, than at the hands of an attacker in production. ## Flaws Fabiano Amorim found, Microsoft fixed Fabiano researches SQL Server security from the inside and reports vulnerabilities directly to Microsoft. Each one became a **fix published in an official patch**, applied to environments around the world. - 17 SQL Server CVEs reported to Microsoft - 100% fixed in official patches - Publicly assigned CVEs: CVE-2025-53727, CVE-2025-47954, CVE-2025-59499, CVE-2026-26116, CVE-2026-47295, CVE-2026-55002, CVE-2026-66820, CVE-2026-66819, CVE-2026-77487, CVE-2026-77480, CVE-2026-77483, CVE-2026-73028, CVE-2026-66818, CVE-2026-66816, CVE-2026-84010, CVE-2026-116715, CVE-2026-118110 The Power SQL Security Assessment was created by the people who find the flaws Microsoft publishes. ## Exclusive bonuses for clients who hire the assessment ### Your team gets the security training, with unlimited vouchers SQL Server Security courses with Dirceu Resende (taught in Portuguese). Once the project is signed, your whole team gets access to both courses, with no limit on people, at no extra cost. - SQL Server Security · Module 01 - SQL Server Security · Module 02 ### 3 months of Power Alerts included Monitoring for your SQL Server: guaranteed backups, SA login attempts and more. Your environment stays watched after the diagnosis. - Exclusive to Power SQL Security Assessment clients ## Our guarantee - **If we find relevant flaws:** You leave with the plan. Prioritized to lock down the environment, from quick wins to structural actions. - **If we find nothing relevant:** You don't pay! The assessment is on us. ## Get a tailored proposal The investment depends on the number of SQL Server instances in scope, with progressive discounts as the number of instances grows. Talk to our team and receive a proposal for your environment. - Priced per instance - Progressive discount from the 3rd instance - Guarantee: nothing relevant found, you don't pay ## Everything that is included - Full scan with the Power SQL Security tool - 230 security checks on each instance - Expert analysis of every finding, no false positives - HTML, Excel and executive PDF reports, signed by Fabiano Amorim - Prioritized remediation plan and presentation to your team - Total confidentiality of critical findings - Security mentoring with our team during the project - Guarantee: no relevant flaw found, you don't pay - 3 months of Power Alerts included (bonus) - Security courses on the Power Tuning platform (bonus) ## Those who find the gap also know how to close it After the report, you are not on your own. The same team that identified the risks can support the remediation. - **Largest database and BI consultancy in Brazil:** Experts dedicated to SQL Server every day. - **Microsoft Solutions Partner:** Microsoft partner since 2018. - **A team of MVPs and technical leads:** Leaders recognized by the community and by Microsoft. - **From diagnosis to remediation:** Support to apply the action plan safely. ## Before you book ### Who is the Power SQL Security Assessment for? For companies that run SQL Server, on-premises or in the cloud, and want to know clearly how exposed their environment is. It is also recommended before audits, after migrations and when the environment has grown without an access review. ### How long does it take? 2 to 3 weeks per instance: 2 days of preparation and collection, 1 to 2 weeks analyzing the results, 3 days defining the actions and 1 day presenting to your team. ### Is it just an automated scan? No. The Power SQL Security tool runs 230 checks on each instance, and every finding is analyzed by experts, with no false positives. The analysis is most of the work. ### My patches are up to date. Do I still need it? Yes. For some of the flaws we assess there is still no published fix. Applying the latest patch is not enough to close these paths. ### What do I receive at the end? An interactive HTML report, a detailed Excel workbook and an executive PDF for the C-level, signed by Fabiano Amorim, plus the prioritized remediation plan and a results presentation to your technical team. ### What if you find nothing relevant? You don't pay. If the assessment does not point out a relevant flaw, it is on us. ### How are critical findings handled? With total confidentiality. The method behind the most critical flaw is never recorded in a report, email or presentation, so it cannot be used against any environment. ### Does the assessment affect my database operations? The work is planned together with your team, with scope, windows and access agreed before it starts, so it does not impact day-to-day operations. ### How is the assessment priced? It is priced per SQL Server instance, with progressive discounts from the 3rd instance. Talk to our team to receive a proposal for your environment. ## Let's schedule your Power SQL Security Assessment Reach out to our team to pick the best date and start the diagnosis. Choose the channel you prefer. - Book a meeting: https://powertuning.com.br/en/commercial-meeting.html - Chat on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/552734413060 No commitment. You talk directly with people who know SQL Server security. --- Power Tuning · https://powertuning.com.br/en/index · Power Tuning. Power SQL Security Assessment is a Power Tuning product.