Vlad Drumea

The latest release of PSBlitz brings: - Microsoft Entra MFA support. - Fixed session activity collection when tempdb CREATE TABLE perms are missing - HTML report now flags non-default database-scoped configs #PSBlitz #SQLServer #AzureSQL #MSSQL #DBA #PowerShell #OpenSource #MVPBuzz

Recently updated: hashcat is currently the only viable tool for auditing SQL Server 2025 login passwords. #PBKDF2 slows down brute-force attacks both inside and outside of SQL Server compared to the pre-2025 hashing algorithm. #sqlserver #sqldba #hashcat #cybersecurity #infosec #sql

New blog post & my 4th contribution to T-SQL Tuesday: About a two week long outage caused by the Ryuk ransomware. 60+ instances restored, reinfections fought, and how I used Ryuk's own file filtering logic to protect local backups. #sqlserver #mssqlserver #infosec #tsql2sday #cybersecurity #mvpbuzz

Let's see AI write a coherent blog post after half a bottle of wine.

I do worry about the epistemological foundations of people who have not yet encountered an LLM being wrong in a way that alters their approach to them.

How I see pretty much every AI startup at this point.

Romania has thwarted three Russian drone attacks near Neptun Deep in under two weeks, with F-16s destroying an explosives-laden naval drone just meters from the vital gas platform. Earlier, Romanian forces destroyed two Gerbera drones near the site.

Peak echoborg behavior.

AI CEOs act and talk like every villain in every movie I grew up with, so I'm not really sure what they were expecting to happen. Also, apparently I'm young.

In this post I cover Disaster Recovery testing, what it is, what's its purpose, and why some organizations and institutions end up never doing it and being caught off guard whenever something bad happens. vladdba.com/2026/08/17/d... #cybersecurity #disasterrecovery #ransomware #security #mvpbuzz

The latest release of PSBlitz: - Adds more security checks related to xp_cmdshell, sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint, and additional high privilege roles and permissions github.com/VladDBA/PSBl... #sqlserver #sqldba #powershell #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #PSBlitz #Azure #AzureSQLDB #AzureSQLMI

Recently updated blog post: Documenting my SQL Server Management Studio configuration. vladdba.com/2025/11/16/m... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #mvpbuzz

New blog post: In which I cover the process of spinning up an Azure SQL Database container using #QNAP Container Station. vladdba.com/2026/08/02/a... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #mvpbuzz

New blog post: In which I cover the process of spinning up an Azure SQL Database container in Podman. vladdba.com/2026/08/02/a... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #mvpbuzz

Exfiltrating data from SQL Server 2025 using sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint. No xp_cmdshell, no fancy external tools. Exfiltrating login hashes, text & PNG files using WordPress comments as the target REST API endpoint. #sqlserver #sqldba #sql #mvpbuzz #cybersecurity #security #infosec #powershell

New blog post: Querying Shodan's REST API directly from SQL Server using SQL Server 2025's sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint stored procedure. vladdba.com/2026/07/19/s... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #mvpbuzz #cybersecurity #security #infosec

How many SQL Server instances are exposed to the public internet? I pulled real data from Shodan to find out. Breakdown by version, geography, and organizations. vladdba.com/2026/07/19/i... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #mvpbuzz #cybersecurity #security #infosec

With SQL Server 2016 hitting end of extended support, I took a look at some Shodan stats: it looks like, out of a total of 182K instances exposed to the internet (for reasons beyond human comprehension), 2016 RTM barely makes it in the top 10 versions with 3.8K instances. Blog post incoming.

Updated First Responder Kit and Consultant Toolkit for July 2026 From now on, I'm going to be releasing annual versions of the First Responder Kit, starting with this one, which I'm calling the First Responder Kit 2026. I'll still release more frequently on Github, but I won't be blogging about it…

Why does accessing the BIOS on a PC/laptop always have to be a quick-time event? Additionally, why can't motherboard and laptop manufacturers agree on one BIOS key?

Nice work, everyone! Keep it up!

Favorite and least favorite file formats? Favorite: md Least favorite: doc(x) People who write documentation in Word, especially containing code snippets, hate other people.

Last day to register to Brent Ozar's 2026 Live Online Classes with a 50% discount. And you can stack an extra 10% off on top of that. Find out how to claim the exra discount: vladdba.com/2026/06/23/e... #SQLServer #DBA #BrentOzar #DatabasePerformance #TechTraining #sql #performance #mssql #sqldba

New blog post: My third contribution to T-SQL Tuesday, about things that make me instantly think a query is bad. vladdba.com/2026/07/07/t... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #tsql2sday #azure #azuresql #mvpbuzz

8 days left to take advantage of Brent Ozar's 2026 Live Online Classes 50% discount (ends July 10). And you can stack an extra 10% off on top of that. Find out how to claim the exra discount: vladdba.com/2026/06/23/e... #SQLServer #DBA #BrentOzar #DatabasePerformance #TechTraining

"Developers want to add a new column every day. VARCHARs" "The integrity of our data is very important, not to me personally (I couldn't care less), but for our company to survive." This clip got a good chuckle out of me 😅 #sql #mssql #sqlserver #dba

Recently updated post: In which I demonstrate why using heaps in SQL Server for anything other than staging tables comes with real, measurable costs. If you didn't get a chance to attend my session at Data Saturday Croatia 2026, then this is the next best thing. #sqlserver #sqldba #mssql #mssqldba

Brent Ozar's 2026 Live Online Classes are open for registration with a 50% discount (ends July 10). You can stack an extra 10% off on top of that already-deep discount. Find out how to claim the discount: vladdba.com/2026/06/23/e... #SQLServer #DBA #BrentOzar #DatabasePerformance #TechTraining

This reminded me of this old meme

New blog post: On my experience as a first time speaker at a Data Saturday conference at Data Saturday Croatia 2026. vladdba.com/2026/06/23/a... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #mvpbuzz

My blog's "About Me" page was getting a bit stale, so I gave it a refresh to better reflect my work with SQL Server, security, and automation. Check out the new version here: vladdba.com/vlad-drumea/ #SQLServer #DBA #InfoSec #AzureSQL #SQL #PowerShell #MVPBuzz

If you've been on the fence about Brent's Anniversary Sale, use this link for an extra 10% off the already discounted prices: vladdba.com/2026/06/08/b...

Very interesting thought piece. "Being open to the possibility that LLMs are conscious is the same as being open to the possibility that Microsoft Word is conscious" No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious www.theatlantic.com/philosophy/2...

Next week I'm heading to Data Saturday Croatia 2026. Session: "A Heap of Trouble: The Hidden Costs of Heaps in SQL Server" If you're there, come say hello! datasaturdays.com/Event/202606... #DataSaturday #DataSaturdayCroatia #SQLServer #MSSQL #DBA #SQL #MVPBuzz

PSBlitz 6.1.0 is live: New checks for Backups (RPO/RPO est.) & Instance Security (beta). ImportExcel support Up to 70% faster Excel exports Retry logic for transient errors Read the full breakdown: vladdba.com/2026/05/28/p... Repo: github.com/VladDBA/PSBl... #sqlserver #powershell #dba #MVPBuzz

New blog post: In which I cover and demo SQL Server roles and permissions that are viable avenues for privilege escalation to sysadmin. vladdba.com/2026/05/22/s... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #hashcat #cybersecurity #infosec #sql #mvpbuzz

Your doctor’s AI notetaker may be making things up, Ontario audit finds arstechnica.com/health/2026/...

When your Java application "forgets" to commit one transaction which leads to more large uncommitted transactions piling up, causing the transaction log to fill the entire disk. #mssql #mssqldba #sql #java #jdbc

🚨New Microsoft MVP Alert🚨 Vlad Drumea Award Category: Data Platform Technology Area: Tools & Connectivity,SQL Server (on Windows, Linux, Containers) Country: Romania

Blog post from the past: In which I go over potential reasons for why some special characters end up corrupted and displayed as question marks, squares or something completely different in SQL Server. vladdba.com/2024/10/04/c... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba

Recently updated post: In which I discuss the risks of improperly configured SQL Server linked server connections and provide recommendations for securing them. Now with a query to identify improperly configured linked server connections. #sqlserver #sqldba #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #security

Film you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Star Wars/Trek, HP, LOTR, Marvel.

New blog post: My guideline on how to handle and test SQL Server backups to ensure their viability and avoid a "Schrödinger's backup" scenario. #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql #azure

I swear, it was supposed to be a short blog post. 😅

New blog post: I demo cracking #MSSQL 2025 login passwords offline. #hashcat is currently the only viable tool for auditing SQL Server 2025 login passwords. The results show how #PBKDF2 slows down brute-force attacks both inside and outside of SQL Server compared to the pre-2025 hashing algorithm.

New blog post: In which I go over three points that are vital in preventing SQL injection when working with dynamic T-SQL. vladdba.com/2026/04/15/d... #sqlserver #sqldba #microsoftsqlserver #mssqlserver #mssql #mssqldba #sql

My Spring gift to the #SQLServer and #InfoSec communities: support for cracking SQL Server 2025's PBKDF2 hashing algorithm with hashcat. Blog post coming this week. github.com/hashcat/hash... #Hashcat #DBA #CyberSecurity #MSSQL #SQL #SQLServer