Minimal secure configuration

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Your web application should run with the smallest set of rights and permissions required for the application to function correctly. For example, a web application should NOT have access anywhere outside of the web application space. If attackers happen to find a flaw in the web application, at least they will not gain access to sensitive information stored on the server (for example a SAM database, where user passwords are stored).

You should explicitly ensure that:

  • IIS runs under a custom low-rights user account.
  • The IIS application pool runs under a correctly configured user account. We recommend creating a custom user account with minimum rights. See Application Pool Identities.
  • The SQL Server Services run under separate low-rights Windows or Local user accounts. See Configure Windows Service Accounts and Permissions.
  • Unsafe SQL functions, like xp_cmdshell(), are not enabled.

Minimal Xperience requirements

Below you can find the minimal configurations for SQL and IIS user accounts required to work correctly with Xperience.

Minimal configuration for SQL user accounts

Instead of assigning SQL users to the db_owner database-level role, we recommend setting permissions according to the operations that the user account must perform:

Operations

Required permissions

Actions related to browsing on the live website

Alter table or schema, Connect, Delete, Execute, Insert, Select, Update

Managing of Forms, Page types, Custom tables or Module classes

Note: This set of permissions is required for the DB user of the Xperience administration application, and also your live site application (MVC or ASP.NET Core) if you wish to use certain features, such as the Form builder.

Alter schema, Connect, Create table, Create view, Delete, Execute, Insert, Select, Update

Working with the Database objects application

Only required for the DB user of the Xperience administration application.

Connect, Create procedure, Delete, Execute, Insert, References, Select, Update

Creating a database

Only required for the DB user of the Xperience administration application.

Alter, Connect, Delete, Execute, Insert, References, Select, Update

To limit the permissions for an SQL user, you have to first create a new SQL login in SQL Management Studio, map it to the database and then assign the permissions for this login. For information about creating logins in SQL Management Studio, see Create a Login.

Minimal configuration for IIS user accounts

  • The account must have Read, Write, Modify permissions for the website directory.