Impact of resetting password for SQL Server service account

Resetting the password of your SQL Server service account is a critical security measure that should not be taken lightly. In this article, we’ll discuss the impact of resetting the password of your SQL Server service account and how it can affect your system.

By resetting the password, you’re preventing potential attackers from using stolen credentials to access your server. Additionally, changing the password on a regular basis is good practice for all sensitive passwords, as it reduces the chances of those passwords being compromised in the first place.

SQL Server Configuration Manager

When you reset the password of your SQL Server service account, you’re essentially changing the password for all accounts that are associated with that service account. This means that any user/application who has access to the server will need to update their password in order to continue accessing the server.

If you’re planning on resetting the password for your SQL Server service account, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, make sure to update all applications and services that use that account before you change the password. If you don’t do this, you may find that some applications stop working after you change the password. Second, make sure to communicate the password change to all users/application who have access to the server. This way, they can update their own passwords and avoid any disruptions in their work.

How to change the password of SQL Server service account?

If you need to change the password of the SQL Server service account, there are a few things you need to do.

First, you need to reset the domail account which is used as SQL Server service account
After changing the password, you will need to update the password in the SQL Server Configuration Manager

SQL Server service account

In any place where the old password is hard-coded, such as in a connection string, must be change
In addition, if you are using SQL Server proxy accounts, you must also update the password in proxy account

SQL Server proxy accounts

If you have linked servers configured, you must update the passwords in each linked server configuration

linked servers

If your instance uses SSL to encrypt communications, you must update the SSL certificate with the new password
If Kerberos authentication is configured for your instance, you must update the Service Principal Name (SPN) for the SQL Server service. To do this, you can use SetSPN.exe from a command prompt.

For service account change we need to restart SQL server service. But if we are only changing the password then there is no need to restart the SQL Service.

Changing the password of the SQL Server service account will have some impact on running SQL Server. However, by taking some simple steps, you can minimize this impact.

What are the consequences of changing the password of SQL Server service account?

If you change the password of the SQL Server service account, there are a number of potential consequences:

The SQL Server service will be unavailable until the password is updated in the service configuration.
Any linked servers or jobs that are configured to use the SQL Server service account will fail.
If you have SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) installed, it will no longer be able to connect to the
database and report data.
If you have SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) installed, it will no longer be able to connect to the database and process data.
If you have SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) installed, it will no longer be able to connect to the database and run packages.
If you have any other applications or services that rely on the SQL Server service account, they will also be affected.

Microsoft recomendatioin : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/configure-windows/scm-services-change-the-password-of-the-accounts-used?view=sql-server-ver16

Conclusion

In conclusion, resetting the password of the SQL Server service account can have a number of impacts on the day-to-day running of your organization. It is important to weigh up the pros and cons of resetting the password before taking any action. If you do decide to reset the password, be sure to follow best practices to minimize the impact on your systems and users.