Top 10 BizTalk Server Vulnerabilities and Security Recommendations
BizTalk Server is coming to the end of it’s life, but is still a critical component for a lot of enterprises. Integrating enterprise applications within and across corporate boundaries, demands stringent security measures to protect against vulnerabilities, and this becomes more challenging on an product at end of it’s life. Based on our own experience, and insights from Microsoft's guidelines and best practices, this article outlines the top 10 vulnerabilities within BizTalk Server environments and offers recommendations to mitigate these risks.
- Running a BizTalk 2013 R2 instance or older is not supported: Support for BizTalk 2016 ends in January 2027. If you are still using a version of BizTalk that is not supported, you will not have any security patching from Microsoft along with a lack of general patches and hotfixes.
Recommendation: If you are on an unsupported version of BizTalk, plan a project to move off it immediately. If your using BizTalk 2016, plan your migration project to finish before 2027. - Running BizTalk on SQL Server 2014 or older is not supported (from July 2024): Support for SQL Server 2016 ends in July 2026. If you are still using a version of SQL Server that is not supported, you will not have any security patching from Microsoft along with a lack of general patches and hotfixes.
Recommendation: Upgrade your SQL Server. - Running BizTalk or SQL Server on Windows 2012 R2 or older is not supported: Support for Windows Server 2016 ends in January 2027. If you are still using a version of Windows Server that is not supported, you will not have any security patching from Microsoft along with a lack of general patches and hotfixes.
Recommendation: Upgrade your Windows Server Operating Systems. - Improper Service Account Password Management: Changing service account passwords outside the BizTalk Administration Console can lead to configuration issues, compromising system integrity.
Recommendation: Always update service account passwords within the BizTalk Administration Console to maintain secure configurations. - Excessive BizTalk Administrators Group Members: Granting broad access to the BizTalk Administrators group can expose sensitive data and system configurations to unauthorized modifications.
Recommendation: Limit BizTalk Administrators group membership to essential personnel only. - Unrestricted COM+ Administrators Group Access: The COM+ Administrators group possesses extensive rights, potentially equating members with BizTalk Administrators.
Recommendation: Restrict COM+ Administrators group membership in production environments to minimize risk. - Inadequate Access Control for Service Accounts: Service accounts with unnecessary permissions can lead to data exposure and unauthorized system access.
Recommendation: Grant service accounts only the permissions necessary for their specific roles. - Lack of Channel-Level Encryption: Data transmitted between BizTalk Server components is not encrypted by default, posing a risk of interception and tampering.
Recommendation: Implement channel-level encryption, such as IPSec or SSL, to secure data in transit. - Insecure Temporary File Storage: Temporary files created by BizTalk Server can contain sensitive information and are not adequately protected by default.
Recommendation: Secure temporary folders with appropriate discretionary access control lists (DACLs) and ensure they have sufficient storage capacity. - Use of Shared Service Accounts Across Hosts: Utilizing the same service account for multiple hosts can increase the risk of unauthorized MessageBox data access.
Recommendation: Assign unique service accounts to each host to isolate access to MessageBox data.
By addressing these vulnerabilities and implementing the recommended security measures, organizations can significantly enhance the security posture of their BizTalk Server deployments, protecting critical data and infrastructure from potential threats.
However, these are not the only security risks that exist, so it is essential to conduct appropriate security assessments periodically to ensure your organisation has an understanding of current security risks and issues.
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